RWBY New Century Zero: Rewrite
by SaurusRock625
Summary: A rewrite of the previous story. Now far more original chapters and less of a cut and paste feel. Hope you all enjoy it!
1. Chapter 1

_**Okay, I decided to rewrite the story due to the fact that it does seem to be pretty closely written to how my story Been 10 New Century Zero is written. So I'm going to rewrite the story and try to make each chapter more original while still following the New Century Zero storyline. Hope you guys don't mind.**_

 _ ***I still don't own RWBY or Zoids! But I SORELY wish I did!***_

 _ ***Pairing: Jaune x Yang x Leena x ? x ? (last two girls are undecided as of yet. But will be decided before the seventh chapter.)**_

* * *

"Liger Zero!" = normal speech

"Liger Zero!" = Dark Judge Speaking

 _'Liger Zero!' = thoughts_

 **"Liger Zero!" = someone yelling**

 **"Liger Zero!" = White Judge Speaking**

 _ **"Liger Zero!" = Ending Narration**_

* * *

 _ **Departure From Beacon!**_

* * *

Hatred… rage… sorrow… despair… these are the ingredients chosen to create the very tense atmosphere that has descended over Beacon.

It's been two months since the failed Vytal Tournament, and things were not going well for either Jaune Arc or Yang Xiao Long. Neither have been quite the same since Yang was accused of attacking Mercury after their round in the tournament and taken to Atlas Maximum Security Prison.

When it initially happened, no one from teams RWBY and JNPR besides Jaune thought she was innocent, and that caused her some massive heartbreak. And in the process, it drove a wedge between Jaune and his former friends. Not to mention that Pyrrha actually had the gall to pay Mercury to fight on their team in place of Jaune in the next tournament. Needless to say, a LOT of butts got kicked that day.

And as it stood, Jaune didn't trust any of Beacon's professors anymore, since even THEY failed to see that Yang was innocent! Oh sure, they tried to confront him and get him to accept what happened. All it resulted in was being beaten black and green, several threats of castration with a rusty spoon, one threat of removing Glynda's eyeballs and shoving them down her throat and one of the male teachers having their balls literally crushed by Jaune's fist!

...Yeah. Oobleck REALLY needs to learn when to just shut up!

Unfortunately for Jaune, the sterility of the teacher wasn't permanent due to an Aura technique he used to rebuild his balls. Although, the teacher is still scared shitless of Jaune's unyielding rage, and tends to reflexively cover his groin when in Jaune's presence.

Things had certainly gone from bad to worse, though.

Just when they thought the situation couldn't possible get any worse (damn you Weiss for tempting fate!), Jaune and the others had gotten a very disturbing report from General Ironwood.

Yang had been raped while in prison.

One of the more deranged criminals in the prison, a serial rapist who was a jaguar Faunus, pounced on Yang when the guards had gone on a lunch break. Long story short, he did the unthinkable to Yang and is now awaiting the chopping block upon being sentenced to the death penalty.

Fortunately for Yang, Jaune had scrounged up every cent he could and used the money to pay her bail before taking her back to Beacon. But the incident had scarred her for life. She's afraid of every male at Beacon, and even most of the females, and doesn't leave Jaune's side for any longer than a few minutes at a time. Mainly to shower or use the bathroom.

The only upside was that their mothers, Sarah Arc and Raven Branwen, had heard about what happened and immediately rushed to their children's sides. Sarah volunteered to be a therapist for Yang and council her so she could recover easier, while Raven was just going to be there for her daughter. The black haired woman had thanked Jaune profusely for looking out for her child, promising that should either of them need her help, she'd be there for them.

She basically threw away her 'Rule of One', realizing that it did more harm than good in this situation. They were all incredibly lucky that Yang hadn't gotten pregnant from that whole ordeal!

And that leads us to the current situation.

"Jaune, is this really necessary?" asked Pyrrha.

She and the rest of team JNPR and the rest of team RWBY and most of the Beacon professors were gathered in the courtyard of the academy to meet with an absolutely livid Jaune Arc. Yang is currently with her mother, who is trying to comfort her from the ordeal she suffered and to try and make up for lost time. And while she did this, Jaune was occupied with giving everyone a piece of his mind.

"Yes it is, you worthless, thankless ingrates!" growled Jaune. "I can't believe that you-"

"Alright everyone, let's calm it down!" said Sarah Arc, Jaune's mother and Yang's self appointed therapist. "Take a deep breath,"

She inhaled deeply through her nose in order to try and quell her OWN anger, and partially succeeded. But only because her son was in the vicinity, and she doesn't want to cause him any more stress.

"Good. Now Jaune, let's address the issue here." she requested.

Jaune's eyes narrowed more as he recalled earlier events with his team.

"The issue? The ISSUE is that I spent every spare moment of my time here training to be a better fighter for THEM!" Jaune explained, gesturing to his 'team'. "And what do they do!? They go out and literally PAY for it!"

"Well, I don't see how that's-" Nora tried to say.

But she was cut off by Sarah and the scary dark Aura she was generating.

"Now, miss Valkyrie, this is my son's turn. Now, how did that make you feel, Jaune?" Sarah asked her son.

"It made me feel hurt. It made me feel inadequate. Like I'm not good enough." Jaune replied in a hurt voice.

"Oh Jaune, don't be like that! It was just a one-time thing!" Pyrrha said, trying to calm her partner down.

Yeah, like that'll happen anytime soon!

"Was it, Pyrrha? Because last I checked, there's a whole tournament coming up to make up for the previous one, and something tells me that you're excited to see them again!" Jaune said accusingly.

"Well sure, but…"

"SEE?! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" shouted Jaune.

"Jaune, please! We just fought in the previous tournament like two months ago!" Ren said, beginning to lose his patience.

"Yeah, and I'm sure you would've fought alongside MERCURY if HE were on your team!" Jaune accused.

"That's not fair, we-" Nora tried to say again.

But once again, she was cut off by Sarah the therapist.

"Okay, let's not get too off topic. Now children, tell us: why did you support Ironwood's decision to send Yang to prison and pay Mercury to be on your team?" she asked.

Pyrrha and the rest of the group looked down in guilt at that. Had they known that the prison was holding a serial rapist in its confines, they would never have agreed to that! They would have at LEAST placed her under house arrest, but they certainly didn't want THAT to happen to her! Even Ozpin wouldn't wish such a horrible fate on his worst enemy!

In a hidden lair of sorts, Salem sneezed as she was revising her plans.

In response to the second question though, Ren sighed as he tried to find the right words to say here. One wrong word could spell disaster for everyone here, and he knows it. Of course, in situations such as this, there is no correct way to tell someone that they've basically been replaced.

"It is… I don't know. Mercury just… does things, you know? Things you can't! We can't go through life knowing only the same thing day in day out." Ren said.

"Oh, THERE IT IS! After half a year of working together I just don't excite you guys anymore, is that it!?" Jaune snarled.

"You know, I'm pretty sure your older sisters were never like this when you came along." Ren quipped.

"Oh…! So that's what this is now, huh?" Jaune asked, turning away from his team.

"Now, mister Arc, nobody is saying that you aren't team JNPR's leader anymore!" said Ozpin.

"NO! I WANT TO HEAR IT FROM THEM!" demanded Jaune.

But the guilty looks on the faces of his supposed team said it all.

"I mean…" trailed off Pyrrha.

Jaune just closed his eyes, crossed his arms and started walking away.

"I rest my case. I can't trust any of you!"

And with that, Jaune walked off to get away from those he formerly thought that he could trust. The professors didn't care what happened to Yang in that PRISON before she was bailed out by him, and his team obviously thought that he was expendable! So why should he continue to be around them?!

If only he understood that Yang had gone through a similar conversation with her mother at the same time that he had spoken with his former peers.

* * *

 _ ***With Yang. Same Time…***_

* * *

Raven Branwen considers herself to be a strong and independent woman. True, she doesn't consider herself the world's greatest mom, but after what happened to her baby girl in that Atlesian Maximum Security Prison she was trying very, very, VERY hard to be a part of her daughter's life.

As proven by how she was holding Yang in a warm embrace, stroking her hair while Yang continued to let out her sorrows by crying into the older woman's shoulder.

"It's going to be okay. I'm here for you now, my little dragon." Raven said soothingly to her daughter. "It's going to be alright. The bad Faunus can't hurt you anymore!"

Yang couldn't even bother with responding as the horrible memories wouldn't stop replaying in her mind. She was used like some kind of plaything by a madman and those guards just let it happen! It's a miracle that she doesn't hate everything male now!

"Mom… I can't…" mumbled Yang.

"You can't what, sweetheart?" Raven asked.

She held Yang out at arm's length and looked her over.

She looked terrible! Her hair was no longer the stunning blonde color that she once took pride in, her eyes were read and puffy from crying so much, her cheeks were swollen and red from crying as well and she also had these terrible dark bags under her eyes! Not to mention that she has lost a lot of weight as Raven had felt her bones when she hugged her. That's not good. She needed to eat more.

Yang sniffled and spoke in a broken voice as she poured her heart out to her mother.

"I can't stay here anymore! No one here cares about me! My own sister betrayed me, and I can't even stay sane with so many males in the same place anymore! I just can't stay! I have to leave!" wailed Yang.

Raven just shushed her daughter and hugged her tight as Yang broke down again. She knew that Yang wouldn't last much longer in an environment like this, and the only real friend she has left is that boy, Jaune Arc. Looking up at the sky, Raven frowned and subtly nodded.

She knows what has to be done.

* * *

 _ ***Later That Night…***_

* * *

"Mom, miss Branwen, where are you guys taking us?" Jaune asked.

He and Yang had been asked by their moms to meet them at the edge of Beacon's cliffs. Once there, the two women lead their children to the entrance of the Emerald Forest. And that place is extra dangerous due to how active the Grimm are at night and how much deadlier they are when strengthened by the shadows.

"Don't worry, Jauney, we're already here." Sarah said.

"We've been doing some talking and we've come to the conclusion that Beacon is no longer a safe place for either of you. Between uncaring and incompetent professors, and your own friends and certain members of your family turning on you, we've decided to send you off the continent to a place where there are no Grimm." Raven explained.

Both children looked surprised and made a move to protest, but their mothers just held up a hand and hugged their children tightly.

"We understand that you might not initially feel as though this is the best choice, but we just want what's best for you right now." Sarah continued. "And right now, what's best for you both is not Beacon. You don't have to stay away from Remnant forever, just long enough to recover from this whole ordeal. We've already found some people who are willing to take you in while you search for your purpose in this world."

Raven held out a wallet sized picture to the two children which Yang took and held up so she and Jaune could look at it. It was of a man with messy brown hair and brown eyes who looked like he was in his late thirties, mid forties.

"That is our old friend, Doctor Steve Toros. He's the manager of a Zoid Battle Team known as the Blitz Team. The team itself is comprised of his son and daughter, Leon and Leena Toros, a mercenary named Brad Hunter and a young man named Jamie. He's agreed to allow you both to stay with the Blitz Team until you've found a way to make ends meet, but I know that you're both destined for great things." Raven said.

With that said, Raven drew her sword and slashed open a portal to what looks like a base of some kind. Jaune took Yang's hand to try and calm her down while both teenagers were kissed on the forehead by their respective mothers.

The two women then gently pushed their children through the portal as it closed behind them. They were both sad to see their children go, but they knew this wouldn't be the last time they saw them.

One day… They'll meet again.

* * *

 _ ***To Be Continued…***_

* * *

 _ **Hope this is a good start. BTDubs, I posted a poll for the Liger Zero's CAS Units that will be used in this story, so be sure to vote on that See you all next chapter!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I understand that there are some people who don't like the idea of Ruby and Yang's sisterly bond being severed like that. But don't worry, all will be explained the next chapter. So just sit back, read on and enjoy! Also, here's the current results of the poll I posted…**_

* * *

 _ **Poll Question: In the rewrite of RWBY New Century Zero, what should I do for the Liger Zero's CAS units? (first to 50 votes before the battle against Jack Sisco wins.)**_

 _ **Make my own armors: 14 votes**_

 _ **Zero X, one original armor and Liger Zero Gusoku Myukoh: 4 votes**_

 _ **Jager, Schneider and Panzer: 1 vote**_

* * *

 _ ***I still don't own RWBY or Zoids! This disclaimer counts for all future chapters!***_

* * *

 **"Organized under strict rules and regulations Zoid Battles are fighting competitions held on enormous battlefields using mechanical combat units known as Zoids."**

 **"The enthusiast young warriors put their pride on the line and sharpen their skills against one another."**

 **"Battle Mode approved."**

 **"Area scanned."**

 **"Battlefield set up!"**

 **"Ready… FIGHT!"**

* * *

 _ **The Story Begins!**_

* * *

At the Blitz Team headquarters, the team was getting the place all spruced up. They were washing dishes, cleaning surfaces, sweeping and mopping the floors and rearranging furniture. But while the team was working hard to get the place presentable, they failed to see the need to hurry like they were. I mean, what's the rush?

"Looking good, team! I'd say we're just about done!" said Doctor Toros.

"Oh, thank God! I don't think I can take any more of this abuse!" sighed Brad as he put away the rag he was using to clean the counters.

Brad appears to be about seventeen years old, wears a sleeveless blue outfit with a torn up collar. He wore brown gloves, black pants, and long black boots with his outfit. He also has gold bands tattooed around his biceps. He has long, spiky brown hair, tan skin and blue eyes.

"Hey dad, I don't mean to pry but why are we so focused on cleaning the place up like this?" asked Leena.

Leena is a beautiful girl who looks to be about seventeen years old. She has messy fuschia colored hair, lavender purple eyes and porcelain skin. She's currently wearing her casual clothes which consist of a yellow tank top, a light blue skirt and a pair of sneakers.

Doctor Toros smiled and put away the tools he was using to clean with.

"I'm glad you asked, Leena. You see, a couple of friends of mine are sending their children to live with us for a little while. Just until they find work of their own. So I wanted to get the place sparkling clean and try to make a good first impression." he explained.

"So we're babysitting a couple of brats here? I guess with our current losing streak, it's all we're good for anymore." Brad said with a bit of a condescending tone.

"Who says we're brats?"

The Blitz Team (sans Doctor Toros) jumped in fright at the sudden voice. And they got even more nervous when a swirling red portal opened up in front of them. Two individuals, a boy and a girl, stepped out of the portal and they could already tell that something serious had gone down. Especially due to how skinny the girl looked, even with her visible cheekbones.

"Hey there! Is this the home of the Blitz Team?" asked the boy.

Doctor Toros stepped forward and helped guide Yang to the couch and had the girl sit down. It was clear that she was feeling weak due to the obvious malnourishment she was suffering from.

"Yes it is. And you two must be Jaune Arc and Yang Xiao Long, the son and daughter of Sarah Arc and Raven Branwen respectively. It's good to meet you both. I'm doctor Steve Toros, and I'm a friend of your mothers." said doctor Toros.

The doctor then gestured to each member of the team as he started introducing them.

"I'd like you to meet the warriors of the Blitz Team. This is Brad Hunter, Jamie, my daughter Leena and her brother Leon. I know they might not seem like much, but trust me when I say that they're very capable warriors!"

Jamie is a boy who looked no older than fourteen with short, spiky black hair, a slightly tan complexion, and brown eyes.

Leon is considered to be the current 'leader' of the Blitz Team. He wears a blue jacket over a green shirt with dark pants. He had tan skin, spiky brown hair in a crescent shaped style, and lavender-purple eyes.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Leon said.

He shook hands with Jaune and Yang, but he looked worried about the blonde girl. She looks like she's gone through hell and back and didn't live to tell about it. Not that she should have to.

"So why were you sent to live with us, anyway?" Jamie asked.

Jaune's eyebrows knit in anger while Yang grew fearful of the memories that began to assault her mind, leading Jamie to believe that he said something he shouldn't have. Jaune glanced at Yang, asking a question with his eyes.

Yang just subtly nodded, not trusting her voice. Jaune inhaled before turning serious and looking at the team with a gaze that could pierce through a Geno Saurer's armor with ease.

"What I'm about to tell you all is to remain between us. This story is not one that has… a happy ending." Jaune said.

Seeing how serious Jaune was being about the situation, the Blitz Team took a seat and listened as the boy began his story.

"You see, we come from the Continent known as Remnant. There we were undergoing training to become warriors at a place called Beacon Academy…"

The team listened with rapt attention while Jaune told them about his and Yang's adventures at Beacon Academy and all of the fights they were in. Initiation, the formation of RWBY and JNPR, the Breach… everything! And they were very impressed when Jaune told them about how he, the weak link in team JNPR, killed an Alpha class Ursa by himself with only one slice from Crocea Mors.

But then came the events of the Vytal Festival. Jaune explained how Yang was framed for attacking some punk named Mercury Black unprovoked after their match in the tournament. While she didn't break the guy's leg, she was still arrested for charges of assault. Jaune even told them the worst part as he held the now sobbing Yang in his arms.

He told them about how she was raped in prison by one of the inmates.

The team was shocked and disgusted by the fact that the guards allowed such a thing to happen to anyone. And for what?! Something as insignificant and repetitive as Taco Tuesday?!

"...And so, our moms snuck us out of Beacon that night and sent us here to try and find happier lives away from those people. That's our story." Jaune said.

He looked up at the team and expected to hear insults about how they deserved every ounce of treatment they'd received at the hands of their former friends and colleagues. What he saw was anger at someone else entirely and completely different results.

Jamie's face was contorted in anger as he looked like he wanted to rip somebody's head off, Brad looked neutral, but if you look in his eyes you can see cold flames of anger burning within them. Leon was clenching his fists so hard they began to bleed, and Doctor Toros looked like he was struggling to not lash out as his nostrils flared in anger.

Leena had wrapped Yang in a hug as she tried to comfort her. As a fellow female, being raped was one fear that was always there, hiding in the shadows. And the fact that it happened to Yang caused her heart to reach out to the blonde girl.

"Oh, you **MOTHER FUCKEEEEERRRRS!"** yelled an enraged Jamie.

"OW, my ears!" said a female voice in the distance.

"While I don't necessarily agree with his choice of words, I agree with Jamie. Those people went too far and don't deserve people like you at that school!" Leon said.

Brad slammed his fist into his open palm and cracked his knuckles in anger at what he'd just heard.

"If any of those bastards and bitches ever show their faces around here, I will PERSONALLY introduce them to the ground! And trust me… Their relationship will be intimate!" snarled Brad.

Leena didn't say anything. She just continued to rub comforting circles in Yang's back as the girl slowly stopped crying. Doctor Toros walked up and put a hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"I can't say I understand what you guys went through, but I can say that what happened to you both was wrong and completely inhumane. You kids are welcome to stay here with us for as long as you need." Doctor Toros said with a smile.

Jaune smiled and nodded in thanks to the man. Even Yang looked grateful to the man, who had a far more fatherly vibe than her own father did. The tense atmosphere was broken when the Blitz Team received a call on the Video Phone. Doctor Toros answered, and the face of a white robot appeared on the screen.

 **"Attention, Blitz Team! The Zoid Battle Commission has received a battle request, and scheduled a battle between the Blitz Team and the Tigers Team at coordinates W08X22 in Battle Mode 0982. The time of the battle shall be eleven o'clock AM. on the dot."** said the robot.

"I understand." said Doctor Toros.

The call ended and the doctor sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"This is gonna be tough." sighed Doctor Toros.

"Why? What's the problem, mister Toros?" Jaune asked.

"Please drop the whole 'mister' thing, Jaune. I hate formalities, so just call me Doc." said Doctor Toros.

Jaune nodded in acceptance and understanding. He also hated it when people called him Mister Arc, but until a couple of months ago he never had the backbone to tell the teachers to stop calling him that. Even his father hates the term 'mister', stating that Mister Arc is his father.

"As for the problem, well that's a little harder to explain. You see, the Blitz Team participates in Zoid Battles all across the continent, but we're on a very long losing streak! We BARELY make enough to repair our Zoids after the battles and need serious help if we're going to defeat a team as skilled as the Tigers!" Doc explained.

Jaune hummed in thought and put a hand to his chin. If he understood what the problem was and found a way to help the team, then he might be able to REALLY pull them out of the dark, so to speak.

"Well, maybe I can help you guys." Jaune suggested. "I may not be the best at fighting Grimm, but when it comes to strategizing there's no one in my age group who can outdo me!"

"I say we let him have a shot. Honestly, we haven't really got much else to lose at this point." Leena said.

"Not to mention if he's really that great of a strategist as he says he is, then whatever plan he comes up with will be virtually flawless." Jamie said, adding his two cents.

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Jaune stood up and popped his back before getting ready to plan the battle strategy.

"First things first, I need to see what kind of Zoids you guys have and the fighting style and Zoids of the Tigers Team." Jaune said.

Doctor Toros stood up and motioned for the rest of the team to follow him.

"Come with us to the hangar, and we'll tell you everything you need to know." Doc said. "Yang, you just stay there and get some rest for now. We'll come and get you when it's time for dinner so we can get some meat back on those bones."

Yang wanted to argue, but she just didn't have the strength to right now. She really wanted to see the Zoids and didn't want to miss out because she was bedridden.

Seeing the conflicted emotions crossing Yang's face, Leon smiled and typed something on on the computer. The screen lit up at the hangar, and Yang saw four different Zoids there.

"Here, watch this. I'm streaming you live feed from the hangar's security cameras so you can see and hear what's going on down there." Leon said.

"Thank you, Leon." Yang said gratefully.

Yang snuggled up to the soft cushions of the couch as Leena draped a blanket over her before they all began to head down to the hangar with Jaune. As they were walking, Jamie took the time to explain the team statistics of the Tigers to Jaune.

"So the Tigers Team are absolutely ruthless! They usually gang up on the enemy Zoids one at a time to take them out quickly and often bombard the enemy so they can't fight back. These tactics cause their enemies to go into a state of panic, making them easier for the Tigers Team to finish off. In some of their past battles, they heavily damaged several enemy Zoids and even damaged a few of them beyond repair! And with our current losing streak, I don't know if we can beat them." Jamie explained.

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there, Jamie. This is one of the reasons why your strategies are good, but they aren't good enough! You lack confidence in your skills as a warrior, and in turn end up making bad decisions in battle that cause your teammates to lose the battle. This lack of confidence and tension you have makes it difficult for you to both think and fight at your full potential." Jaune said. "And so, your first lesson should be to relax. When you see an opportunity to rest, you must take it. Like Brad does."

Jamie let out an embarrassed groan while Brad chuckled with a lazy smirk on his face.

"Well, Jaune's right. I love me a good nap and a nice, hot cup of coffee." Brad said.

Jaune's eyes narrowed at the mercenary as he tensed up slightly.

"But you have problems too, Brad." Jaune said.

Brad didn't even see it coming. One minute he's walking along, next thing he knows he's on the ground in a headlock with Jaune giving him the mother of all noogies!

"HEY! KNOCK IT OFF! WHAT'D I EVER DO TO YOU?!" Brad demanded.

Jaune let the mercenary go and began to lecture him in a manner that was scarily similar to Glynda whenever she taught her students.

"Being too relaxed can also be a weakness. And don't even get me started on the issues with your overconfidence! No matter how strong you are as a warrior, if you let your focus waver, you're set up to fail. In fact, I'll bet there have been many past instances where you're so sure of yourself, you let your guard down in battle."

This time, it was Jamie's turn to laugh.

"He's got THAT one right!" Jamie laughed.

Brad just groaned and tried to fix his hair, which could now only be described as something that was attacked by a pair of rabid squirrels after an acorn.

"Well, I still say that was a cheap shot!" mumbled Brad.

"Okay, come on team! Let's not fight!" Doctor Toros said. "Now, we're here to show Jaune the Zoids we have so that we can come up with a good strategy for our battle against the Tigers Team."

The doors opened and Jaune was greeted to a sight that really made him astounded! This technology has Atlas beat in every way possible!

There were four giant mechs that easily dwarfed the Mech Suits of the Atlas Military! And each one was built in the form of an armored animal.

"Okay, Jaune. Here we have the Zoids that belong to Leena, Brad, Jamie and Leon. In order, we have the Dibison, the Command Wolf, the Pteras Bomber and the Shield Liger." said Doctor Toros.

The Dibison is a Zoid is heavily armored like a tank and has the firepower to match. It sports a 105 mm 17-Shot Megalo Max Assault Cannon on its back, two 8-Shot Missile Pods on its cheeks, an AZ 3-Barreled Shock Cannon mounted on the belly, two 35 mm Anti-Ground Cannons and a Pulse Beam Cannon. This Dibison is a yellowish hue as opposed to the standard green of the Dibison species. And Jaune doesn't even KNOW how he knows this fact!

As for the Command Wolf... It's a sleek Zoid with an orange lense for a canopy and blue armor covering its body. Mounted on the Wolf's back is a Long Range Cannon that seems to be fixed in a forward position, possibly due to the lack of a turning mount.

Next up, we have the Pteras Bomber. It's a Pterosaur type Zoid that has a strange type of wing that is full of holes. But then again, Jaune realized, that design might actually be how the Zoid is supposed to fly. He's got a lot to learn about Zoids if he hopes to have a chance at helping this team. Anyway, the Pteras has blue armor with an orange canopy to shield the pilot, and its overall design is kind of like a salamander with wings.

The final Zoid, which is Leon's Shield Liger, is a large Zoid that is mainly black with a long steel gray tail, and it has blue armor on each shoulder and at the top of the hind legs. It has an orange lense for the canopy, and like its cousin Zoid the Saber Tiger, it has a pair of long saber fangs jutting from the upper jaw. But the Shield Liger's most distinguishing feature is its large mane made from blue armor.

But Jaune's sight was soon brought to the last Zoid in the hangar. A Zoid that looks strikingly like a lion with white armor and red stabilizer knobs in its legs, and golden colored claws for feet. But it also had a more streamlined design when compared to the Shield Liger.

"Hey Doc, what's the deal with that Zoid over there?" Jaune asked.

"Oh, that one? We call it the Liger Zero." Doc replied.

"Liger Zero, huh?"

Leena stepped up and gazed at the Liger as well. Her face was one of slight contempt for the Zoid, for reasons as of yet unknown to Jaune.

"Yeah, some dealer conned my dad into buying it. And dad fell for it because… white Ligers are rare. But as far as we know, it's the only one of it's kind. This makes it difficult to maintain by finding the right parts for it. Not to mention that so far no one has been able to pilot the darned thing!" Leena explained.

Doctor Toros cringed at the memory of acting so recklessly when buying this Zoid, but Jaune didn't notice that.

"You mean no one knows how to pilot it?" Jaune asked.

"It isn't that. It's that the Liger has a habit of going berserk if someone tries to pilot it. Even going so far as to eject someone who steps into the cockpit!" Leena explained.

Jaune looked at Liger Zero in amazement. Such a Zoid deserved to be out there on the battlefield, not cooped up in a hangar collecting dust.

"You know something, guys? I think Liger Zero keeps rejecting you guys as pilots because he's searching for the right pilot who will treat him as an intelligent life form and not just another machine. I don't know who that is, but I sure as heck know that it's bound to happen soon!" Jaune said to the team.

Doctor Toros actually smiled at Jaune's words. He could see so much of Sarah in the boy, knowing that Sarah also thought that the Zoids are more than just giant machines. She and Raven were like sisters, in a way, and when they were put on opposite teams they still tried to make as much time to spend together as they could.

' _Sarah, you would be so proud of your son right now.'_ Doc thought to himself.

As if sensing the sincerity in Jaune's words, the Liger's eyes began to glow reddish orange. The Zoid began to growl in a fashion that was almost like it was purring before it startled everyone by doing something completely out of character. It began to lower its head to the ground while crouching down, and seemed to nuzzle Jaune with its big metal muzzle.

To add more surprises to this day, the Liger Zero began to open up its head from the back forward, revealing the cockpit to Jaune.

"Guys… has this ever happened before?" Jaune asked.

"Nope! Normally it just roars and goes berserk, thrashing its head around in an attempt to get whoever's trying to pilot it out of the cockpit." Leon explained.

Jaune just stared at the giant cat Zoid's empty cockpit as it roared softly at him. He seemed to understand what the Liger was saying, as he spoke to the Zoid itself.

"Are you saying… you want ME to be your pilot?" Jaune asked.

The Liger just growled some more and lowered its head down a little lower so Jaune could get in easier. But Jaune wasn't so sure. In his mind, he felt as though he wasn't worthy of being the pilot for such a great Zoid.

But he felt Doctor Toros nudge him gently in the direction of the Liger. The good doctor had a big ol' smile on his face. He had a feeling this day would come!

"Go on, Jaune! Get yourself acquainted with your new partner here! Take him for a run and we'll call you guys back about an hour before dinner. Then we'll try to come up with a plan for our battle against the Tigers Team before bed." Doc said.

Jaune was startled at the words of the doctor, but soon found himself grinning like a maniac before nodding and climbing into the cockpit. He pushed a few buttons and lowered the safety harness just as the Liger closed the canopy to protect his chosen pilot. The Zoid slowly rose back up from the ground before its eyes started glowing even brighter than before.

Liger Zero gave a loud roar that even the rest of the Blitz Team could sense was full of happiness before the Liger took off running out of the hangar with Jaune laughing as he felt the freedom that came with piloting a Zoid.

The four pilots of the Blitz Team were truly stunned by what happened.

"How can this be possible?" Jamie asked. "That Liger has never let ANYONE pilot it willingly before today! So what makes this any different?"

No one said a word. Doctor Toros just kept smiling as he sent a mental message to Jaune's mother.

' _Sarah… I think your boy has finally found his calling in life!'_

* * *

 _ ***The Next Day…***_

* * *

The Hover Cargo was cruising along the sands of the desert that was the designated Battlefield, and within it are four out of the five Zoids currently on the team. That's right, they're carrying the Shield Liger, the Command Wolf, the Dibison and the Liger Zero.

After Jaune and Liger Zero got back from their run, Jaune used a type of Zoids variant of chess to play out some scenarios that could be used against the Tigers Team. Each time, he used the Shield Liger, the Command Wolf and the Dibison against three enemy Saber Tigers. There were several instances where the Blitz Team lost, but each time they got closer and closer to winning the battle. And on the final game, Jaune had a breakthrough!

The plan was simple. Fan out and attempt to take the Sabers on one at a time and while the Saber Tigers pulled their gang up maneuver, Brad would shoot his Long Range Cannon at them to cover whoever was being attacked in order to disrupt the team's formation. And once that happened, the two remaining Blitz Team pilots would select a target and take down the Sabers!

It was actually a pretty solid plan that had no exploitable flaws as far as they could tell, but Jaune also recommended bringing Liger Zero along for the ride. Doctor Toros agreed to the proposal, stating that it would be better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

"Alright team, get ready to mobilize your Zoids! We're approaching the Battlefield, so you all better hurry and get a move on!" Doc ordered.

"Roger that!" was the collective response.

Within the Liger's cockpit, Jaune was busy running a systems check to make sure Liger Zero was okay.

"All systems functioning at optimal capacity. No anomalies detected. Liger Zero and I are good to go, Doc!" Jaune reported.

"Good to know! Just sit tight and be ready in case we need you and the Liger for this battle." Doctor Toros instructed.

"Roger that!" Jaune said in affirmative.

Up in space, a Judge Satellite belonging to the Zoid Battle Commission was orbiting above the planet as the staff on board prepared to drop one of their many Judge Capsules down to the planet.

"Coordinates W08X22, Zoid battle request in Battle Mode 0982 approved!"

As the staff continued their work on the satellite, a hatch underneath the spacecraft opened up to reveal the four prongs of a Judge Capsule. And it was ready to be fired.

"Judge Capsule… release!"

The capsule was released from the orbiting vehicle's hold and began its rapid descent to the planet below. It was already covered in flames due to entering the planet's atmosphere, and it crashed into the ground of the battlefield not too long after.

The capsule rose up from the ground and was now at the top of the crater that formed upon impact. The hatches on the door unlocked, and it slowly opened up to reveal a white human sized robot with a visor for a face and two different colored panels for hands. The left hand is blue, the right hand is red.

 **"The area within a 30 mile radius is a designated Zoid Battlefield. This zone is now restricted! Only competitors and personnel have authorized entry. Danger! All others must leave the area at once!"**

The Judge did a quick scan just as Leon and the others launched their Zoids. First was Leon in the Shield Liger, next was Brad in the Command Wolf and finally Leena and her Dibison. And walking into the field were three Saber Tiger Zoids that were a stunning golden color with dark blue armor on their shoulders, the backs of their hind legs and their tails.

 **"Area scanned… Battlefield set up!"**

"Okay gang, remember to stick to the plan! We can't let the Tigers gang up on us, so we need to do everything we can to get them to separate from pack formation!" Leon instructed.

"Right! Just like Jaune said!" Leena said in agreement.

"Roger that!" Brad added.

Before the battle began, the two teams installed their Zoid Gears into the Zoid Computers of each individual Zoid. These Zoid Gears are used as proof that you are a registered member of a certain team, and are an essential piece of equipment for any Zoid Warrior.

 **"The Blitz Team vs The Tigers Team! Battle Mode 0982! Ready…"**

The Judge spread his arms out wide before he crossed them as he shouted a single word.

 **"FIGHT!"**

The gong sounded and all hell broke loose! The Shield Liger roared as it lead the charge against the Tigers Team. Naturally, the Tigers tried their usual method of ganging up on one member of the team at a time. They ran to take care of the Dibison first, knowing that its heavy weaponry would be a major problem.

But their plan was doomed from the start.

Just as they were about to converge on the Bison type Zoid, one of the enemy Sabers was forced to stop as it was shot at by Brad's Command Wolf and its Long Range Cannon! The lead Saber Tiger was then brought into a grappling match against Leon's Shield Liger while the Dibison charged in to attack the final Saber Tiger with its horns.

"This is working out perfectly, Jaune! You were right!" cheered Doctor Toros.

"Well, he wasn't the top strategist at Beacon Academy for nothing, Doc." Yang said, praising her friend.

But Jaune didn't respond. He had a feeling that something was going to happen that would require himself and Liger Zero to get out there and fight alongside the rest of the team. But he didn't know what just yet.

Meanwhile, things were going quite smoothly for the Blitz Team, in terms of combat. Since the sabers weren't quite used to fighting one on one against any opponent, they were now struggling to defeat even ONE enemy Zoid! And it showed as the Shield Liger managed to pin the Saber Tiger belonging to Kirkland, the leader of the Tigers Team.

"Not so tough without your buddies backing you up, are you?" taunted Leon.

 **"Shut up! We're the Invincible Tigers Team, and we won't lose to anyone!"** Kirkland declared angrily.

He then grinned maliciously as he spoke again.

"In fact… We came prepared to win this fight by hiring a mercenary!"

"WHAT?!" gasped Leon.

He suddenly cried out as his Shield Liger was hit by gunfire and sent tumbling across the ground with its computer system frozen! This allowed Kirkland to get back up as he and his three teammates began to go after the Dibison!

"Doc, Leon's been shot down!" Jamie reported in shock.

"But where'd that gunshot come from?!" Doctor Toros questioned.

From within the Liger's cockpit, Jaune growled in anger. Such a tactic was used by people like Roman Torchwick or the Atlas Military. The Tigers Team leader said something about hiring a mercenary, so they must've stationed him out at the edge of the field in order to pick off the team one by one!

This variable was not one he had expected, but this also gave him the perfect time to test his true abilities.

"Doc, Jamie, hurry up and send me and Liger Zero out there! If they're gonna play dirty and bring in a hidden fourth teammate, then we're just gonna have to even the odds!" Jaune ordered.

And Yang backed him up.

"You heard him, guys! Get that big cat ready to launch!" Yang added.

"I'm on it! I just hope Brad and Leena can hold on until Jaune gets out there…" Jamie said.

The Dibison and the Command Wolf were currently busy running for their lives as they dodged incoming fire from three enemy Saber Tigers plus a hidden sniper! And with Leon down, it really put a monkey wrench in the plan!

"Hurry Leena, we gotta move!" Brad ordered.

"I'M HURRYING AS FAST AS I CAN!" Leena shouted in response.

But as they made to turn and avoid more gunshots, Leena cried out as her Dibison had its leg shot out from under it! It was still active, but now it was rendered completely immobile until repairs could be made.

 **"Leena!"** Brad and the others cried in worry.

Leena groaned and held her head, feeling blood start to drip down from her forehead due to hitting it against the controls. But she had no time to dwell on the pain as she noticed the three Saber Tigers standing over her Zoid, ready to completely decimate the Dibison.

"I hope you've had a successful career as a Zoid Warrior, girly! Because we're about to end it!" declared one of the Saber pilots.

Leena started whimpering in fear as she knew that this very well might be the end for her and her Dibison. But what she didn't know was that help is on the way!

 **"KEEP YOUR GRUBBY CLAWS OFF OF HER, YOU DAMN DIRTY FURBALLS!"**

The Saber Tigers were startled as a new Zoid suddenly pounced at them! Kirkland and one of his teammates managed to get out of the way in time, but the third pilot wasn't so lucky. He got pounced to the ground and his system froze as Liger Zero bit a chunk of armor right off the Zoid's neck!

"Jaune?! What are you doing here?" Leena asked, relieved to have been saved.

"Sorry for butting in like this, Leena. But I didn't like the idea of my team being bullied by a bunch of ruthless thugs like these guys." Jaune said with his 'ladykiller smile'.

Although this time it actually worked, as Leena found herself blushing due to Jaune's chivalry and sincerity. Unfortunately, the moment was lost because of two irate Saber Tiger pilots.

 **"Hey, who you callin' thugs?"** Kirkland demanded.

"You guys must be as deaf as you are bad pilots." taunted Jaune.

 **"What was that?!"** demanded the other pilot.

The Judge suddenly appeared on Jaune's monitor, and began to speak with him.

 **"Registration of Liger Zero as Blitz Team Zoid has been confirmed. Warrior registration has not been received. Warrior, state your name."**

"Jaune. Put me down as Jaune Arc." Jaune said.

 **"Registration of warrior Jaune Arc has been accepted. Registration number is 777A09. Input number into Zoid computer, at once."**

"Right away, sir!" Jaune said.

Liger Zero opened up the Zoid Computer to reveal a blank Zoid Gear, and Jaune input the number given to him by the Judge. And the Tigers Team was not happy about this.

"Come on, Judge, he can't register mid battle!" Kirkland said.

 **"The Zoid was preregistered and the warrior is now officially accepted."**

 **"That ain't fair!"** yelled an angry Kirkland.

"You should talk about playing fair, with your snipers!" Jaune said before he and Liger Zero ran into action.

He and Liger Zero jumped over the two enemy Zoids and made a break for the edge of the Battlefield.

Where are you going, Jaune?!" Leena asked in worry.

"There's a fourth Saber Tiger farther out that's been equipped with a Sniper Rifle! I'm gonna take him down first!" Jaune explained.

"What…?" Brad asked.

Out at the edge of the Battlefield, a standard Saber Tiger equipped with a Sniper Rifle was firing at Jaune like crazy. He was put into a panic when Jaune had figured out his position, and couldn't believe he'd let himself be discovered so easily.

"HOW'D AN AMATEUR PUNK LIKE HIM FIND ME ALL THE WAY OUT HERE?!" he cried in panic.

Each shot he fired missed the Liger Zero by a mile, and Jaune already had a plan of attack. He had the Liger jump into the air and pile drived the Saber Tiger to the ground before running off to fight the other two Saber Tigers.

There was a small explosion from the Saber Tiger as its computer system froze.

"Destruction of enemy Saber Tiger confirmed!" Jamie exclaimed.

"Already?!" Leon asked in disbelief.

"ALRIGHT! GO JAUNE! SHOW 'EM WHO'S BOSS!" cheered Yang.

"That'll teach 'em to play fair!" Jaune said to himself.

"Jaune, you've got enemies heading at you from the front!" Leena warned over the comm link.

Jaune looked and saw the remaining two Saber Tigers shooting their armor piercing rounds at him. While none of them actually hit the Liger, the tremors from the blasts were enough to stall our young Arc.

"I still haven't found anything that looks like a weapon control! Make a run for it, Liger!" Jaune urged.

Liger Zero started running full speed just as the Saber Tigers continued their vicious onslaught of cannon fire. Liger managed to run between the two Sabers, and skidded to a stop as it turned to face the enemy again. And Jaune knew he had to figure something out to stop these guys.

"Man, how am I supposed to stop these guys without any weapons?!" Jaune asked himself.

Suddenly, Liger pulled up some statistics on one of its monitors. It showed an attack move that just might help the Blitz team to win this thing.

"That Strike Laser Claw thing might be a weapon…" Jaune said to himself.

He didn't have any time to contemplate this anymore as Liger Zero roared and charged at the Saber Tigers that had also charged again. Jaune seemed to understand what it was that the Liger wanted to do. He grinned, and let the Liger take over.

"Alright, Liger. I'm leaving it to you!" Jaune said.

Liger Zero roared and fanned out the sides of his mane which began to glow with a golden energy. This energy then started to build up in the Liger's forelegs as it began to pick up speed.

"Look, it's glowing!" said Kirkland.

Soon enough, the golden energy began to glow even brighter than before once it got to the Liger's claws. Liger Zero jumped up and roared as it reared back its right paw while Jaune shouted the name of what would soon become one of his signature attacks.

 **"Let's do it, Liger! STRIKE LASER CLAW!"** Jaune yelled.

As the Liger came down, it slashed at the lead Saber Tiger with its glowing claws. The result was the right foreleg of the Saber Tiger being sliced clean off! It fell to the ground with its combat system frozen just as the Liger's forelegs and claws stopped glowing and it retracted the sides of its mane.

Liger Zero roared in victory, knowing that with most of the pack eliminated the final Saber Tiger would be rather easy to defeat.

And he was right about that.

 **"Kirkland!"** cried the remaining Saber Tiger pilot

He was going to try and avenge his fallen leader, but he was quickly shot down by Brad's Command Wolf! The armored wolf Zoid stood tall and proud as opposed to the downed Saber.

"Don't tell me you forgot about me, did ya?" quipped Brad.

And thus, with all three members of the Tigers Team shot down, the Judge called the match.

 **"The battle is over! The battle is over! The winner is… The Blitz Team!"**

"We did it!" Jamie cheered.

"We won the battle…!" Leena said in awe. "...ALRIGHT!"

 **"Blitz Team, congratulations on your win! Farewell! Until the next battle!"**

Having said his piece, the Judge capsule closed and the Judge flew back up to the Zoid Battle Commision satellite. Jaune smiled in satisfaction at the results of his first official Zoid Battle. It was truly a new and exciting experience for him, and he loved every second of it.

* * *

 _ ***Later That Night…***_

* * *

The entire team was currently celebrating Jaune and Yang joining their team plus their first victory in a long time. Dinner was a veritable feast, as Jaune insisted on cooking for everyone. This proved that his skills as a Zoid Warrior were equal to his cooking abilities, as everyone left a praising word at the boy's food.

Doctor Toros cleared his throat as he stood up and raised his glass. The drink of choice tonight had been non alcoholic strawberry sunrises.

"I'd like to express my gratitude for todays victory to one Jaune Arc, who proved to us that Zoids are more than just machines and that his heart is bigger than even a Gojulas! To Jaune!"

"To Jaune!" the team cried, raising their glasses.

Everyone downed their drinks and continued to celebrate. Laughing, telling jokes, sharing funny stories from their pasts and just having a good time.

"Well, I thought it seemed rowdier than normal around here! What's the occasion?" asked a woman's voice.

Everyone looked up to see Sarah Arc and Raven Branwen stepping out of a red portal that the black haired woman had created using her Semblance. And it was certainly an unexpected yet highly welcome surprise.

"Mom! Misses Arc! What're you guys doing here?" Yang asked, getting up to hug her mother.

But the grim look on her mother's face showed that there was a problem. And whatever it is, it can't be good.

"I wish we could say that this is just a surprise visit, but I'm afraid that's not the case." Raven said. "It's Ozpin and General Ironwood, Jaune. They want us to bring you back to Beacon so they can marry you off to several women of their choosing."

 **"SAY WHAT?! WHAT GIVES THEM THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHO I MARRY AND WHEN?!"** demanded Jaune, whose rage suddenly flared.

Sarah put a hand on her son's shoulder and looked him in the eye, her calming gaze helping to calm him down to the point where he won't ignore rational thought.

"Believe me, sweetie, we're just as against this as you are. But Ozpin and James want to marry you to several strong huntresses in hopes of breeding a stronger generation of Arc children. And trust me when I say that your father is so opposed to the idea that he destroyed a good portion of the school in a fit of rage before leaving Ozpin, Port and James with their heads literally stuck in the ground." Sarah said.

She then grinned with hidden sadistic glee as she reported something else.

"He also took a page from your book and literally crushed Ooblecks balls with a single punch!"

Surprisingly, none of the male members of the team offered any form of sympathy for what happened. Nor showed any signs of cringing at the mention of the destruction of said male bodyparts.

"Wow, you actually crushed someone's nuts with a single punch, Jaune?" Leon asked.

At Jaune's nod, he grinned in sadistic glee much like Sarah.

"I honestly didn't think you had it in you. I hope he suffered!" Leon said.

"Yes, well… as entertaining as it is to hear about the crushing of Oobleck's reproductive organs, we came here to tell you that there is a way to put a complete and utter stop to Ozpin's plan of turning you into a breeding machine." Raven said.

This garnered the attention of the whole team as they leaned forward to hear what she meant by that.

"You see, there is an old ritual in the Branwen family. Forbidden, even amongst our highest ranking members!" she said.

"And you're just going to abuse it?" Leena asked.

"Ohhh, maliciously!" Raven replied with an evil smirk.

"Okay, how does this ritual work?" Jaune asked.

Raven dropped the smirk as she turned completely serious.

"Well, you see… this Ritual is sort of an engagement ritual of sorts that was used on male members of our family due to the fact that when the Branwens were plentiful, there were more females than there were males. So our ancestors created a ritual that, in essence, bound a single male to multiple females. In short, it meant that the man in question had to marry multiple women in order to increase the chances of producing male offspring." Raven explained.

"...So, you're saying that… basically, Jaune has to be soul bound to several random women who we won't know about?" Yang questioned with a twitchy eye.

"Believe me, sweetheart, I don't like having to do this anymore than you do. But right now, we have no other choice! But it's entirely up to Jaune if he wants to do this." Raven replied.

Jaune just looked down at the floor. He didn't know what to do, and this whole situation was just becoming more and more stress inducing for him. Jaune sighed and stood up from his seat.

"Give me a few days to think about it." he said simply.

"Of course, Jaune. We'll be staying here for the time being, so we'll know your choice right away." Raven said. "Perhaps now would be a good time to turn in for the night. It's been a very eventful day for all of us."

Everyone nodded in acceptance and helped to clean up before turning in for the night. Leena escorted Raven and Sarah to the guest rooms before turning in herself, knowing that there might be more and more challenges down the road.

* * *

 _ ***To Be Continued…***_

* * *

 _ **Ending Narration (Jaune): Hey, it's me, Jaune! Liger Zero and I have won our first Zoid battle, but now we've got another problem. Our next opponent is a top class sniper and Liger doesn't seem to have any long range weapons! But then again… I am kinda suspicious about what's on the end of his tail. But at least we managed to get a good Zoid for Yang. Next time on RWBY New Century Zero: Rewrite; The Red Comet Appears! Ready… FIGHT!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Okay, folks! New chapter here ready for you! And I just want to say thank you for all of the great reviews you send to me. So in response to those great reviews, I want to answer some of them! Here we go!**_

* * *

 _Raidentensho: not too shabby. though will a bit of 'godofspartan' like the Ranger armor be in this, only with missile pods at the shoulders? also will there be a bit of backstory to jaune getting a part time job as a junk dealer? not to mention that by doing so he could claim the parts he found after tuning them up, so a shock cannon would be early and i'm pretty sure the rifle could double as a cannon with the telescopic barrel. looking forward to more. hoping this can go a lot farther. until then, later!_

 _ **Answer: Sorry dude, but if I make armor units for the Liger Zero, they're not going to be the ones used by 'godofspartan'. They're going to be my own designs! But those weapons you mentioned sound promising...**_

 _christopherrhaydon: Please tell me it's the ELEPHANDER!_

 _ **Answer: You'll find out in the chapter, good buddy!**_

 _bankai777: Will Qrow Branwen meet the Blitz Team?_

 _ **Answer: Yes he will!**_

 _StrongGuy159: Cool 2 chapters continue please._

 _ **Answer: Why thank you, random citizen! But I would like it if your reviews gave more than just what you usually say. If it's not too much trouble, please try leaving a constructive review every once in awhile.**_

* * *

 _ ***I still don't own RWBY or Zoids!***_

* * *

 **"Organized under strict rules and regulations Zoid Battles are fighting competitions held on enormous battlefields using mechanical combat units known as Zoids."**

 **"The enthusiast young warriors put their pride on the line and sharpen their skills against one another."**

 **"Battle Mode approved."**

 **"Area scanned…"**

 **"Battlefield set up."**

 **"Ready… FIGHT!"**

* * *

 _ **The Red Comet Appears! The Zombie Tusk Elephander!**_

* * *

Back at Beacon Academy, we find ourselves in a dark place illuminated only by a single flashlight. And within this dark area, we can see Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black having a little scheming session. Although, both Cinder and Emerald had a bit of a regretful gleam in their eyes due to what happened to Yang while in prison.

"Looks like the plan's coming along nicely. Arc and Xiao Long are out of the picture, a new tournament's coming up, and no one suspects a thing!" Mercury said with a malevolent grin.

"Yeah, but… was getting Yang thrown in prison really worth it?" Emerald asked.

Upon seeing Mercury's raised eyebrow and questioning glance, Cinder decided that now would be the best time to explain a few things.

"Yang Xiao Long getting raped in prison by a crazed leopard Faunus was not part of my original plan. Nor was her getting thrown in the clink in the first place a part of my plan! As women ourselves, Emerald and I feel disgusted with ourselves for something like that happening." Cinder explained.

And it was true. They both felt so dirty when they heard the news that they had to take forty hot showers EACH just to feel clean again! Needless to say, they both now understand what lobsters and other shellfish have to go through when being cooked. But she quickly shook off her self disgust and got her game face on.

"However, now is not the time to dwell on the past! How goes things with the silver eyed girl?" Cinder asked.

"Unfortunately, that Dust you guys slipped her wore off after the first use. So we can't give her any more mental suggestions to bend her to our will unless we can whip up another batch of that Dust. Which I highly doubt we can." Mercury reported.

Cinder silently cursed. It took a whole month just to make that one batch of her patented 'Mental Manipulation Dust', and she didn't have the time or resources to make more! Especially since the formula is as of yet incomplete, so she couldn't do much else but ONE command during the original plan. And she wasted it!

"No matter," said Cinder with a sigh. "Any information on the whereabouts of Jaune Arc and Yang Xiao Long?"

"Not much. Just that they snuck out of the school in the middle of the night and disappeared. The Atlas Military and Beacon's professors are STILL searching for them! For what, I don't know." Emerald said.

"Actually, I overheard Ozpin talking with that general guy. He wants Arc to marry multiple strong women in the hopes of breeding a stronger generation of huntsmen and huntresses. Foolishness given how weak the guy is, if you ask me." Mercury interjected. "They plan to marry him off to Goodwitch, Pyrrha Nikos, that cat Faunus girl, Winter Schnee and that rabbit Faunus from Team CFVY, just to name a few."

Cinder took a moment to ponder this. If what Mercury said was true, then this means that her plans may no longer be as foolproof as she thought they were. This left her with two options. Either seduce the Arc boy for her mistress's own benefit, or completely eliminate the boy before Ozpin can get him back into his clutches.

"The situation has just become far more dire. We'll have to tweak the plan a little and continue to bide our time. We've waited this long, and we can wait a little longer. We must NOT allow Ozpin's plan to succeed if we are to accomplish our own goals! Any questions or objections?"

"Yeah… can we maybe poke some air holes in this thing?" Emerald asked.

The camera shifts to show that Cinder and her team were actually having this conversation from underneath a cardboard box in their dorm room. And the box had the words 'Not Evil!' written on the sides with a magic marker.

"Too risky! The 'Box of Ultimate Secrecy' must remain secure, or our cover's blown!" Cinder declared.

Okay, clearly the lack of oxygen to her brain is beginning to affect Cinder's judgement.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, With The Blitz Team...***_

* * *

Out in a desert field near the Blitz Team Headquarters, the Hover Cargo was resting near the border while the Liger Zero and its pilot Jaune are out a few miles away. Since the Zoid was going to be used in battles now, the team needs to run a few tests to see just what this Zoid is capable of.

"Doc, we're all set to begin the test." Jamie reported.

"Good! Start whenever you're ready!" Doc ordered.

"Commencing analysis of the Liger Zero. You've got the green light, Jaune." Jamie said.

Out in the Liger's cockpit, Jaune was dressed in a new outfit that was now his battle gear. Gone were the hoodie and jeans. Now he wears a black muscle shirt that clung to him like a second skin and defined his lean yet masculine build. Over that, he wears a white jacket with the image of a black Liger and a red Liger forming a Yin-Yang symbol on the back. To complete the outfit, he wears black cargo pants with the pant legs tucked into a pair of armored combat boots.

Jaune smirked as he was given the signal to start the test. This was going to be fun!

"Let's show them what you're made of, Liger!" Jaune said to his Zoid.

He pushed the controls forward, hit the gas and the Liger took off running at full speed. So far, nothing seemed to be wrong with the Liger's systems as it continued to move at speeds only outmatched by the run it went on a few nights ago.

"Looking good, buddy! But go ahead and pour on the speed, I can take it! Ion Boosters, ready!" Jaune said.

He pushed a button and the Ion Boosters on the Liger's back opened up while a pair of stabilizer flaps were lowered on the sides of the Zoid. Jaune grunted as the boosters shot out roaring fire that boosted the Liger's already phenomenal speed, causing Jaune to grunt as he was pushed back into his seat.

But as soon as he got adjusted to the G-Force, he started laughing and grinning like a maniac.

 **"WOOO-HOOOOO! YEAH, BABY!"** Jaune cried with joy.

Within the Hover Cargo, the rest of the team was watching on in awe as the Liger Zero ran at speeds that easily would make a Shield Liger jealous.

"Look at that…! He's taken the speed up to 200 miles an hour!" Jamie said, looking very impressed by the Liger's speed.

"That kind of speed's possible because of the Anti-Lift Stabilizers on the sides and rear legs. The stabilizers help create a downward thrust so one hundred percent of the Liger's kicking power is transferred to the ground." Doctor Toros explained, going into lecture mode. "This Zoid is something!"

"Wow, now I'm really regretting letting that Zoid just sit in the Hangar collecting dust!" Leena said. "All this time it was such an amazing Zoid, and we never even knew!"

Yang scoffed with a playful smile on her face. A playful smile that was now very rare from the former party girl.

"Yeah. I'm sure it did nothing for the Liger's complexion." Yang said jokingly.

This drew a laugh from Leena as she imagined the Liger with a thick layer of dust covering the armor before the Zoid sneezed and sent the stuff flying everywhere. It just seemed so funny to the fuchsia haired girl.

"Ignoring that totally useless comment about skin care on a Zoid, there's still a problem. Aside from its speed, Liger Zero has not weapons. So it's still pretty much a useless Zoid." Brad said sternly.

This earned him a big time glare from Leena, and Yang looked just about ready to punch the mercenary's teeth in.

"That kind of thinking is going to lead to your own defeat many times in the future, mercenary." Raven said as she and Sarah walked into the room.

"She's right! Just because Liger Zero doesn't seem to have any weapons doesn't mean it's useless. This just means that the Liger is a clean slate. A blank canvas just waiting for the artist to paint on." Sarah added.

Leena pondered what the Arc woman said and actually found herself believing her. Liger Zero has the potential to become one of the greatest Zoids to ever fight for any team, and she planned to help Jaune and Liger Zero reach their full potential! Yang was also having similar thoughts to Leena, only hers included Liger Zero and Jaune going on globetrotting adventures whilst fighting against the dark forces of evil!

Doctor Toros smiled at the words of his old friends and knew that they were right. Liger Zero is a blank slate full of endless possibilities just waiting to be discovered.

In fact, he had to wonder just what sort of ideas Jaune would get for the Liger with this new information. Oh well, he'll worry about that later. For now, he had to call Jaune and Liger Zero back to the Hover Cargo so they could get back to base and finish running a few diagnostics on the Liger.

"That's enough for today, Jaune! Bring it in!" Doc ordered.

"Yes sir!" Jaune replied.

He deactivated the Liger's Ion Boosters and slowed the Liger to a walk. A bit too abruptly. He stopped too fast and hit his head against the seat, but he didn't lose his smile. But as Jaune made to remove his safety harness, Liger Zero decided to play a little prank on Jaune and hit the boy on the chin with the harness as it was going up. While Jaune clutched his chin in pain, Liger Zero let out a roar that sounded like his equivalent to laughing.

"Okay wise guy, we get the point! It wasn't that funny!" Jaune said.

* * *

 _ ***Elsewhere…***_

* * *

At a Zoid Battlefield, we find three tunnels moving towards a single target. Three Zoids were advancing quickly, and it seems like it's going to be an explosive result.

"Men, this isn't your average Gun Sniper we're up against. The pilot is some warrior who hasn't lost a single battle yet! They call her the Red Comet." said one of the pilots.

The camera shifts to show the lower half of a woman's face, smirking as she had heard the whole talk through her own comm system.

"I see you've done your homework, cowboy." she said in a mature yet feminine voice. "Very impressive."

She pulled the trigger of her weapon and shot at the ground. Two gun shots and two explosions rang out through the area as two of her enemy's Zoids burst up from the ground. Naturally, the leader began to freak out and lose his cool.

"How could she hit us from such a distance when we're dug in like this?!" he asked.

But he was soon grunting in slight pain as his Zoid was also shot up from the ground, revealing that all three Zoids were Iguana Type Zoids called Heldigunners. The gong rang out to signal the end of the battle as the last Heldigunner's computer system froze.

 **"Battle over! Battle over! The winner is… The Flugel Team!"**

From the top of a rocky bluff, the canopy of a dark red Gun Sniper opened up to reveal the pilot standing proud. A woman with red hair, violet eyes, flawless pale skin and wearing a get up that looked like a mix of an old western cowgirl and a military sniper.

This is Naomi Flugel: the sole member of the Flugel Team. And she's the best sniper this side of the pecos!

Later that day after the battle, Naomi made her way to a bar and restaurant where Zoid warriors often congregated. After looking around for a little bit, she spotted the two people she was looking for. Two hooded individuals who were actually wearing hooded capes. Both wore red, but the taller and more masculine looking of the two wore a tattered cape that looked like he's worn it in many battles.

"Hey, there you are! I was wondering if you'd even showed up!" Naomi said as she walked up to them.

"You really think we'd stand up the Red Comet herself? As if!" the male said in return.

Both individuals hoods are up, so we can only see the lower halves of their faces. It's through this that we can see that the taller one is a male as proven by the black stubble on his chin, and the younger one was a female.

"Come on, guys. When among teammates, I prefer to just be called Naomi. I'm pretty sure the same can be said about you two, Black Raptor and Crimson Rose." Naomi said with a smirk.

"You're right about that. So just call this guy Qrow, and call me Ruby." said the girl.

But unknown to the three pilots, two shady looking individuals were watching them from afar.

* * *

 _ ***Back With The Blitz Team…***_

* * *

Several members of the team were laughing hysterically at what had happened to Jaune. After getting out of the Liger, he got himself fixed up and explained how Liger Zero pulled a prank on him, causing Jamie to laugh without restraint while Leena and Yang tried desperately to stifle their giggles. The expression on Jaune's face could only be described as a combination of angry and stern. And his left eyebrow was twitching a little bit from being the butt of this joke.

"Are you saying that really happened when you took off the safety bar?! That is just hilarious!" Leena said as she finally succumbed to her laughter.

Even Yang couldn't help herself.

"Looks like you needed to get yourself all _patched up_ , eh Jauney?" Yang asked, unintentionally using a pun.

And while Jamie groaned at the horrible pun, Leena and Yang just laughed harder. Jaune however, wasn't laughing. But not because he didn't find the situation funny. It was for a different reason.

"Yang… did you just make your first pun in two months?!" Jaune asked.

It's true. After what happened to her, Yang was far too emotionally distressed to make even the lightest of puns. So for two full months, she'd gone from party girl and resident punster to a social recluse who was having many breakdowns! But it seems like Jaune and the others are having some luck in breaking the poor girl out of her shell.

"I guess I did." Yang replied as she finally got her giggles under control. "I'm not quite sure how to feel about that, though."

"Well, however you feel about it, I'm just happy that you're getting closer and closer to being your old self again." Jaune said with a smile.

Yang smiled back and found herself blushing a bit. She liked this side of Jaune that he rarely ever showed due to his insecurities that began in their first year. His true self that grew up surrounded by seven sisters who all gave him the worst of dating advice and made him wear dresses as a child. But he loves them anyway! His sisters, I mean. Not the dresses.

The video phone suddenly beeped as Doctor Toros appeared on the screen.

"Hey, get down to the hangar, Team!" Doctor Toros ordered.

"Why, Doc? What's going on?" Jaune asked.

"Raven has a little surprise for Yang that I think she's really gonna like!" Doc replied.

As the call ended, Jaune and the others looked at each other before shrugging and getting up to move to the hangar. It was a bit of a quiet walk with Jaune mainly sticking close to Jaune. Hey, just because she's okay around the men in the Blitz Team doesn't mean her fears aren't still there. It took about fifteen minutes of walking, but they finally got to the hangar where they all gasped in shock.

"Whoa…!" gasped Jamie.

"Unbelievable!" added Leena.

"How did this get here?!" Jaune asked.

But it was Yang who asked the all important question.

"Who's Zoid is this?!"

And they were right to be impressed. The Zoid they were looking at was an Elephander Zoid… But it's different from other Elephanders. This Elephander has a black body that is covered in an armor that is a combination gold and brown mixture. However, there is less armor on the sides of the Zoid's body, and it seems slightly leaner than others of it's species. The stabilizer knobs on the legs and trunk are red, and it has these oddly shaped ears that don't match the ears of any of the standard Elephander types. Even the weapons on the back and belly along with the tusks, ears, toes and the tip of the trunk are all tinted a sandy orange color. It also has additional spike-like ornaments. This coloration and design gives the Zoid the appearance of an ancient mammoth.

The Elephander appears to be an Assault Variant with the same tusks and head type as the Command Type (sans the prongs on top of the head). Even the weapons on its trunk seem slightly different from a standard Elephander.

This Elephander, like all others of its kind, comes with all of the standard Elephander weaponry. A Twin Crusher Tusk, a 2-Barrel 45mm Beam Gun, a 45mm Machinegun, and an AZ 144mm Rail Gun. But like the Assault Variant, this Elephander also features a turret on its back that is a combination AZ 105mm Beam Gun and AZ 115mm Pulse Laser Gun. And its trunk features two AZ 60mm Hyper Laser Guns and a set of retractable claws that are perfect for grappling and crushing enemy Zoids.

Raven walked up to Yang with a big smile on her face and draped an arm around her daughter's shoulders.

"Oh, you mean this Elephander? I actually stumbled across him during an expedition of mine. He was out guarding some ancient ruins near an oasis out in the desert, and he seemed to instantly know I was there. But he didn't attack. Instead, he showed me that the ruins were actually the remains of an Elephander Graveyard! He seems to be the only survivor of his herd and is still quite young when compared to other Elephanders." Raven said, pushing her daughter towards the Zoid. "He had me climb into the cockpit and I piloted him here to the base where he would be given a partner who would always watch his back! And that partner is you, my little dragon!"

Yang looked up in amazement. This Zoid… this beautiful Zoid is hers? It seemed almost too good to be true! She walked up to the Elephander and gently ran a hand along the armor of its foot.

"Elephander… If you're as alive as the Liger Zero, I just want you to know that I promise to be the best partner you could ever hope for!" Yang said to the Zoid.

With the big reveal done, the team plus two members' parents left the hangar in order to discuss something important. But as they left, no one heard a faint elephant trumpet before all went silent in the hangar again.

After taking about half an hour to relax and get everyone together, Doctor Toros walked into the team's meeting room and got everyone's attention. And in the process he caused Jaune to pull up another holo-chess game, ready and waiting to strategize.

"Okay team, I've just been notified of our next Zoid battle! We'll be going up against the yet to be defeated Flugel Team in a three on three battle in Battle Mode 0988." Doc announced.

"So that means we'll be fighting in an old western showdown setting. Knowing Naomi, she hired a couple of rookies to fight in the battle with her so she can use them as cannon fodder while she snipes at us." Brad summarized.

"Yeah, but I heard that this time Naomi's not hiring rookies. This time she's got two very well known pilots on her side. They go by the Black Raptor and the Crimson Reaper, and they pilot a black Rev Raptor and a red Blade Liger…" Jamie explained.

But Jaune had already tuned out much of the conversation. He already had three game pieces on each side of the board. First, he was trying several forms of strategy using the Liger Zero, the Command Wolf and the Dibison. He chose these pieces since the Shield Liger still isn't one hundred percent ready for combat yet. And on the enemy team Jaune set up a Gun Sniper, a Rev Raptor and a Blade Liger.

Each time he made a move, he tried to find a strategy that would give them the least amount of casualties if any at all. But every time he did, both of his teammates would go down almost immediately and the Liger Zero would be the one to have to pick up the mess. But suddenly, he got an idea.

He replaced the Command Wolf with the Elephander and found the with each new game, he was getting closer and closer to finding the ideal strategy!

"...Which is why I've decided not to use the Liger Zero in this battle." Jaune heard Doctor Toros say.

"I wouldn't go through with that option yet if I were you, Doc." Jaune said.

Everyone looked to see the boy hard at work putting that strategic mind of his to work big time! Sarah just knew from the look of concentration on her son's face and the amount of intricate moves he was using here that her husband would be so proud of Jaune!

"What's going on, son? You getting closer to finding the winning move?" Sarah asked.

"Actually, yes. And I think I just might've found it!" Jaune said.

Now this caught the attention of the whole team as they all leaned in to listen to the plan. Jaune cleared his throat and enlarged the game board before playing the recording of his winning strategy.

"I ran this simulation with the Liger Zero multiple times, but I didn't like how each win came down to me and Liger Zero being the only ones to survive the battle. So a thought occurred to me. What if we used Yang and her new Elephander Zoid? By using the Elephander and its immense strength and superior weapons against the Blade Liger, we can easily take down that Zoid while at the same time having someone to provide cover fire and a strong defense against Naomi's Sniper Rifle. Leena will go after the Rev Raptor while using the superior power and close range abilities of her Dibison in order to throw the smaller raptor Zoid around until its computer freezes. Provided that Leena manages to stay out of range of the Raptor's sicles, of course." Jaune explained. "All I need to do is go into town and get a weapon for Liger Zero from this Parts Dealer I know who can get me all the right equipment I need."

"And if you can't find a weapon in time?" Leon asked.

"I thought of that, and decided that if it comes down to that, we'll send in Jamie and his Pteras. He'll have to fly to a high enough altitude to where Naomi won't be able to lock onto him with her scope while Yang and Leena keep the Flugel Team distracted long enough for him to do so. Once they take out the Liger and the Raptor, Jamie will swoop in and take down the Gun Sniper with superior firepower and a fast charge!" Jaune said.

He stood up from the sofa and popped his back. All that leaning forward really gave him some unhealthy pains, but at least he was helping the team out.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and get those parts. See you later." Jaune said.

He was about halfway out the door when Leena stopped him.

"Hold on, Jaune! Do you mind if I come along and help you?" Leena asked with a light dusting of pink on her cheeks.

"Yeah, and can I come too?" Yang asked, also blushing a bit.

Jaune just smiled at them and nodded.

"Of course! The more the merrier, I say!" Jaune replied.

As the three teenagers left, the others in the room had only one thought on their minds. Minus Sarah, since she had to deal with something similar when she and her husband were courting.

' _Is he really THAT oblivious, or is it just an act?'_

"It's not an act. Jaune got his obliviousness from his father, but I'm sure that with a little more time and effort, he'll figure it out." Sarah said.

"Girl, you are scary when you do that!" Raven said. "It's almost as if you read our minds!"

* * *

 _ ***Later That Evening…***_

* * *

Jaune, Leena and Yang had just made it to a Zoids Weapon Shop that sold high quality weapons at a fair and economical price. But something tells me they won't need to worry about spending any money this time.

"Hey! Anybody still here?" Jaune called.

"Whoever you are, beat it! We're closed for the night." a gruff male voice responded.

Jaune just smiled and didn't let the rudeness get to him. The owner of this shop is always crabby after a long day of work, especially if he's interrupted from watching his favorite TV shows.

"Now that was pretty rude, old timer. And just when I was here to do some business." Jaune said.

Leena and Yang looked a bit confused. When did Jaune have the time to do any sort of business transactions with anyone? Did he get a job behind their backs as a way to supplement the team's budget? And now that they think about it, that does seem like the most logical explanation.

At that moment, a man who looked to be in his late fifties with a bushy white beard, hazel colored eyes, and pale skin walked out of the shadows. He was wearing a red T-shirt, a pair of denim overalls, and a pair of brown shoes. His eyes widened and a grin made its way to the man's face when he saw who was calling for him.

"Wait a second, I recognize that voice! How ya been, Jaune? Doin' good on your business as a Junk Dealer?" asked the man.

Leena and Yang's eyes widened slightly when they heard that.

' _Junk Dealer? What's that about?'_ they thought to themselves.

"Good to see you again too, Charlie. And yeah, business is as good as usual. But I'm afraid this is more than me just stopping in to say hello." Jaune said.

"I could guess that much. Who're the two ladies you got with you here?" Charlie asked.

Jaune placed a hand on each girl's shoulder as he introduced them to his clientele.

"Charlie, I'd like you to meet two of my teammates. The girl with the fuschia hair is Leena, and my fellow blonde is Yang." Jaune introduced. "Girls, this is Charlie. He and I do business together sometimes. I bring him discarded Zoid parts, he fixes them up and sells them to pilots as brand new parts."

Charlie shook hands with each of the girls, smiling at the opportunity to meet a couple of Jaune's friends.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. Jaune tells me a lot about you both whenever he comes to my shop to sell his junk. All good things, of course!" Charlie greeted.

Yang smiled as she shook Charlie's hand. She surprised herself at the fact that she didn't cringe at the contact with a man she didn't know.

"Likewise, Charlie. By the way, Jaune, when did you become a Junk Dealer when you're already a pilot for the Blitz Team?" she asked.

"Well, I knew that we don't really have a lot of money right now, since we just joined the team. Add into the fact that you didn't have a Zoid to pilot before earlier today, I figured I'd get a side job as a Junk Dealer. I scour Zoid Battlefields after battles for discarded parts that would be classified as junk, then I bring them to people like Charlie here, who recycle them to sell again as new Zoid Parts." Jaune explained.

Yang nodded at that information. And who knows? If Jaune saves up enough, he could probably get some really great stuff for the Liger Zero.

"Oh, and speaking of parts,"

Jaune reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a list of parts for the weapon he needed for the Liger Zero. He handed it to Charlie and started to explain the situation.

"We've got a battle coming up tomorrow, and I need a weapon for my Zoid. Think I can get everything on that list?" Jaune explained/asked.

Charlie hummed as he looked over the list. By the looks of the parts, it seems like the blonde boy was trying to add firepower to his Zoid without sacrificing any speed.

"Well, your tab covers all of this. And you're in luck, because I got some beautiful new Command Wolf parts in today! But why is it all so light? You got a lightweight or something?" Charlie asked.

"No way! He can handle the heavier gear, but I don't wanna have to sacrifice any speed in this particular battle." Jaune replied. "So, do you have it all?"

"Oh, sure. I got everything you need for this weapon. Unfortunately, the barrel itself is in pieces so you'll have to assemble it yourself. Oh but don't you worry none, those things may look like a mess but they fit together real good!" Charlie explained.

"Thanks, Charlie. And I think I'll just go ahead and take the easy way out of the shop this time." Jaune said.

"We'll help you with the parts, Jaune. After all, I'd like to see the kind of weapon you have in store for the Liger anyway." Leena said, volunteering herself and Yang.

Jaune smiled and nodded in agreement, thankful for the help. This would cut back on time drastically and make it so that the Liger's new weapon would be done sooner.

"So, how much do I owe you?" Jaune asked Charlie.

"If you three promise to come on by more often, then these parts you ordered are on the house." Charlie replied.

The three members of the Blitz Team readily agreed, and they got right to work loading up the parts they'd need for the Liger's new gun.

While Charlie loaded up the bigger stuff into a delivery truck, Jaune and the girls carried the gun barrel pieces out one by one through the restaurant that was connected to the shop. As they were going about their business, they noticed something that made Jaune's blood boil while it made Leena feel absolutely repulsed. But upon seeing this sight, Yang started shivering in fear as she was assaulted by flashbacks.

Two men were leering at Naomi with lecherous grins on their faces that just screamed 'I'mma rape ya, bitch!', and Jaune didn't like it one bit! Not just because he hates rapists and child molesters, but mainly because of what happened to his dearest friend.

"You girls stay here. I'll be right back." Jaune ordered.

And upon seeing the dangerous gleam in his eyes, they just agreed to leave this one to Jaune. They knew it would be hazardous to their health to argue with him, and just stayed behind.

"Come on, babe, don't be like that! Come with us and we'll show ya a real good time!" said one of the would-be rapists.

"Sorry, but I don't hang out with sleazeballs like you guys." said Naomi as she took a step back.

But the larger of the two thugs just punched her in the side of the face, sending her to the ground. Naomi sat up and groaned in pain as a nasty bruise was already starting to form.

"Shut up, bitch! You're just a damn whore who's only good for usin' her body to please us men! And that's all women will ever be!" declared the larger thug.

Right before he felt a hand grip his shoulder… hard.

"Would you care to repeat that, you son of a bitch?"

That was the only warning the thug got before Jaune delivered a wicked strong right hook right to his temple, sending him to the ground and knocking him out cold! The guy's partner tried to pull a sneak attack on Jaune, but he instantly regretted it when he felt immense pain in a place where no man wants to be hit. You guessed it. Jaune kicked the guy in the dick!

And I swear I hear cracking sounds that indicate this guy's nuts being destroyed!

Jaune retracted his foot from his enemy's now useless reproductive organs, right before punching him in the schnoz and knocking him out with an equally painful karate chop to the neck!

With the two thugs taken down, Jaune relaxed his guard and calmed down.

"Now to just get the cops over here and maybe teach these guys a lesson by getting them acquainted with a couple of horny horses." Jaune said with a sadistic grin.

Jaune turned to Naomi and held out a hand to her. He saw the bruise that formed on her face and felt really bad about not getting there in time to intervene sooner.

"Are you okay? Those two slime bags didn't do anything to you, did they?" Jaune asked.

Naomi smiled and found herself blushing a little bit at this man's chivalrous ways and sincere concern for her well-being. She's not stupid. She knows as well as anyone else that there aren't a lot of men with such qualities left in this world.

"I'm fine. Thanks for the assist, but I could've taken care of those clowns no problem." Naomi said with a smile.

Jaune smiled back at her before sitting down at her table with her and ordering himself a drink. A non alcoholic Strawberry Sunrise, to be exact.

"I have no doubts that the Red Comet could handle a couple of goons like them. But I just hate to see men like them ganging up on a woman like that. Regardless of whether they're a pilot or not!" Jaune explained.

Naomi's eyes widened slightly when she heard Jaune say her Zoid Pilot alias. But she quickly composed herself and joined back into the conversation.

"Nice to know my reputation precedes me. How'd you figure it out?" Naomi asked.

"Red hair, red clothing, dresses like a cowgirl. Really, the signs weren't that hard to miss." Jaune said.

Naomi blushed a bit from that remark. In hindsight, she should've known that her outfit would be a dead giveaway to the title she's earned herself in those Zoid Battles. Especially with the color scheme.

Jaune downed his drink and paid his check before getting up and picking up his supplies. He'd actually caught sight of a pair of very familiar silver eyes and didn't want to stick around to be questioned. But before he could leave, Naomi stopped him.

"Hey, what's your name? Mine's Naomi Flugel." she asked.

"Jaune Arc is the name. Hope to meet on the battlefield one day!" Jaune replied.

After the incident involving those goons, for which he received much praise from his two female teammates, Jaune and the gang finally managed to get everything loaded up into the truck that Charlie had been kind enough to provide. They drove off back to the Blitz Team HQ with their spirits high and their goals set even higher than that.

Once they got home, Jaune managed to get everything unloaded with help from Yang and Leena, and sighed in satisfaction at what looked like a difficult build. But then again, Jaune loved a good challenge!

"Hey Jaune, why are you using a gun that should go on a Command Wolf or a Saber Tiger?" Leena asked.

"Well, I don't exactly have the funds for anything else that could go on the Liger. And Command Wolves and Saber Tigers alike use fairly light weaponry, so I figured that this gun would make an exceptional substitute until I can get my hands on a better one." Jaune replied. "Besides, I think I might be able to do something with this gun later on."

Three empty bed, lights on in the hangar, and the sounds of tools working away with metal and circuitry. These are the qualities that created the perfect ambience for our three Blitz Team members who were now in a race against time to get the Liger Zero's new weapon finished in time for the battle. Turns out, Jaune's better with machines than he gave himself credit for.

But once the Cannon was completed, the time came to hoist the gun on to the Liger's back. A task that proved to be quite difficult.

Getting the gun up was no problem, but moving the gun to the right spot above Liger Zero was the hard part! And Yang's strength has greatly diminished since… the incident… so she's not as strong as she used to be.

"My God, this thing weighs a ton!" groaned Yang.

"I think I'm getting a hernia…!" Jaune grunted.

"I'm sorry we don't have all the right tools for this. All of the maintenance equipment is in the Hover Cargo." Leena said apologetically.

"That's fine, Leena… I just wish there was an easier way to move this thing!" Jaune replied.

That's when the three members of the Blitz Team heard the sound of metal gripping metal and felt the rope go slack. The looked up and were amazed to see that the Elephander was using its trunk to grab and move the Long Range Cannon into place! They watched in awe as the Elephander moved the weapon into position and gently lowered the gun into place on the Liger's back.

The Elephander trumpeted, and Yang somehow understood what that meant. He was going to hold the gun steady while they mounted it into place.

Yang smiled and gave a thumbs up to her Zoid.

"Thanks a bunch for the help, big guy!" Yang said.

The Elephander trumpeted in response as Jaune and Yang climbed up to the Liger's back. Once there, they started the long and arduous process of mounting the gun into place so it wouldn't fall off. But as they were working, Leena felt her curiosity get the better of her.

"You know, Jaune, you and Yang seem to be fairly talented when it comes to Zoids. What made you decide to become a Hunter in the first place?"

After Jaune and his fellow blonde finished mounting the gun onto the Liger's back, he stood up and looked down to Leena with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Ever since I was a little boy, I had this dream." Jaune said.

"What dream was that?" Leena asked.

"I saw how people were suffering because of the Grimm, so I wanted to become a Huntsman so I could protect as many people as I could. And I would hopefully be able to end the cycle of suffering in my world." Jaune explained.

Then he smiled fondly as he thought of the good times he's had with this team this far. Using chess to help Jamie become a better strategist, smoking his first cigar with Brad (he won't suffer the negative effects because of his Aura.), going on runs with Liger Zero, building and playing with Zoid models with Doctor Toros, learning new crafts with his mother, just hanging out with Yang and even the training in swordsmanship he's received from Raven.

"But ever since I came to this Continent with Yang and met you guys and began piloting the Liger Zero, that plan has changed somewhat. Now, I'm going to focus on becoming the greatest Zoid Warrior this world has ever known!" Jaune declared.

Leena and Yang found themselves smiling at Jaune's reasons for becoming a Huntsman. They were certainly better than Yang's own. She just wanted to become a Huntress so she could travel the world just for the heck of it.

Jaune and Yang jumped down from the Liger's back and landed perfectly before looking back up at his Zoid while the Elephander released his hold on the gun.

"What do ya say, partner? That new gun working for ya?" Jaune asked.

Liger Zero roared in approval, feeling that the gun wasn't at all awkward or heavy like he thought it would be. Jaune smiled at the Liger.

"I'm glad you like it, bud! And with that weapon, we're ready for the battle tomorrow!" Jaune said excitedly.

That said, Jaune gave a loud yawn as he and the girls finally felt the exhaustion of their project hitting them hard. Jaune rubbed his eyes and tried to stay awake long enough to get to his bed so he could have a decent sleep.

"All this work has worn me out. Let's get some shut-eye so we can be ready for the battle tomorrow." Jaune said.

"That is a good plan. I like that plan a lot." Leena yawned in agreement.

Yang didn't say a word. She just curled up next to her Elephander's foot and fell asleep right then and there. Jaune shook his head with a tired grin and went to get a blanket for her. After all, it wouldn't do for Yang to get a cold right before a Zoid Battle due to freezing herself at night.

* * *

 _ ***The Next Day…***_

* * *

The day of the battle was now upon the Blitz Team. As the Hover Cargo drove up to the field, Jaune and Yang had confronted their mothers to talk about a serious subject.

"Raven, I've been thinking about that ritual you told us about the other day." Jaune said.

The black haired woman gave Jaune her undivided attention at that statement. She had a pretty good idea what his choice was going to be, but decided to just allow him to make the choice on his own. Unlike James and Ozpin who would just use the boy for their own benefit.

"Yang and I spoke about it in private and came to the conclusion that it may be best for me to go through with this ritual of yours. Given the fact that Ozpin just wants to use me as a breeding stock, I figured that at least this way the soul bond will allow me to marry someone that I love and who will love me back. So my answer is… I'll go through with this ritual." Jaune said.

Raven smiled at the boy and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. She knows that this whole thing would be kind of scary for him, but they were going to be with him every step of the way! And she has a pretty good feeling who one of his soulmates will be.

"Very well, Jaune. We will begin the ritual tonight. That will give me enough time to gather everything that is needed for the ritual to take effect." Raven said.

She walked away and used her Semblance to open a portal to her tribe's homeland. There she would gather everything and still be back in time for dinner. Sarah put a hand on her son's shoulder and wrapped him up in a comforting embrace.

"Don't worry Jaune. It's going to be okay. They can't hurt either of you anymore." Sarah said.

Jaune said nothing as he hugged his mother back. Though he was weeping on the inside. This whole situation was just so overwhelming for the boy, but he knew he had to stay strong for Yang. And if his dad were here with him, he'd most likely agree.

"Alright team, we're approaching the battlefield! Everyone get ready to mobilize your Zoids!" Doctor Toros ordered over the intercom.

"That's my que. I better get going if we're going to win that battle!" Jaune said before mumbling "Hopefully, everyone will actually LISTEN to my plan instead of ignoring it like so many times in the past."

' _That reminds me… I need to give a certain team a piece of my mind later on.'_ Sarah thought to herself.

Back at Beacon Academy, the rest of team RWBY shivered in fear for some reason.

Meanwhile on the battlefield, Jaune had just launched in the Liger Zero followed by Leena in the Dibison and Yang in her new Elephander. But they're not the only Zoids on the battlefield.

The Flugel Team was spearheaded by a red Gun Sniper Zoid. The Gun Sniper is a Velociraptor Type Zoid that is actually the long range counterpart of the Rev Raptor Zoid. The Zoid has twin missile pods on its back that are also a combination Ion Booster/High Output Thruster set.

Next to it is a black Velociraptor Type Zoid known as the Rev Raptor. It's a Zoid that's about the same size as the Gun Sniper, but it lacks any ranged weapons aside from two small Beam Cannons on its arms. The main threat from this Zoid is the twin Scythes on its back and the huge array of melee weapons it possesses.

Finally, the Flugel Team had a red Blade Liger for a heavy hitter. This Zoid looks much like its Shield Liger predecessor, only it's much more streamlined and has a pair of Laser Blades on its back. Unlike most Blade Ligers that only have the Laser Blades for a main weapon, this Zoid sports a pair of Assault Boosters attached to the base of the blades for more ranged firepower. The Zoid roared in challenge upon seeing the Liger Zero, and Liger Zero responded in kind.

"An Elephander…! Never seen one like that before." said the Rev Raptor pilot.

But Yang gasped in recognition at the voice of the pilot while Jaune growled in anger. It just so happened to be one of the people he now absolutely despises!

"Uncle Qrow…" breathed Yang.

A younger female gasp came from the pilot of the red Blade Liger. Two screens popped up on Jaune and Yang's screens showing the faces of Qrow Branwen and Ruby Rose. While Qrow looked very much ticked off by what was going on, Ruby just looked both happy and sad to see her sister and Jaune again.

"Jaune…! Yang…! Guys, why did you leave? You guys just up and left in the middle of the night and didn't tell anyone where you were going! No note, no text message, no carrier pigeon, NOTHING! Ozpin had to send us to find you two! OZPIN of all people! His orders are, and I quote, 'bring them both back unharmed at all costs!'." Ruby said.

"Yeah, so come on kids! Just come back to Beacon and drop this stupid Zoid pilot schtick! Ozzy's got a plan, and it's in your best interests to follow it!" Qrow ordered.

But Jaune was having none of it and stood his ground.

"Oh, just like it was in Yang's best interest to be thrown in jail for something that wasn't even her fault?! It was in her best interest to live in misery every waking moment of her life for two full months?! **IT WAS IN HER BEST INTEREST TO BE RAPED BY A FUCKING LOONATIC WHILE SHE WAS IN THAT HELLHOLE OF A PRISON!?"** Jaune questioned in anger.

Qrow and Ruby recoiled back at the memory of what took place before while Yang began to tear up again at the memories of what Qrow said to her when he was told the news.

"'So you became a prison bitch. Big deal! Get over it!', you said… You didn't even care that I had been raped, Qrow! At least Ruby TRIED to comfort me after what happened!" Yang exclaimed.

As if sensing the anger and anxiety of their partners, Liger Zero roared and got in a defensive stance while the Elephander let loose a loud trumpet whilst shaking its head and thrashing its trunk around.

"Let me be the first to tell you this, Branwen!" Yang said.

Qrow visibly flinched at that. Yang has never called him by his last name before. She and Ruby have both always called him 'uncle Qrow'. And although he probably won't admit it, it hurt him when she did this.

"I won't be going back to Beacon ever again! And Jaune certainly won't be going back there just to be thrown into some fucked up plan that won't even work! You know why? Because we're going to beat you both here and now, and send you back to that hell on earth!" Yang said before hanging up on Qrow.

But before she hung up on Ruby, she offered her a small smile that was full of sadness.

"I'm sorry, Rubble… I don't hate you… but I don't trust you anymore. How can you expect me to trust you again after everything that's happened?" Yang asked. "I've already forgiven you for what happened, but it's going to take a long time for you to earn my trust back."

Ruby gave a sad nod of understanding. She knew she screwed up big time with that stupid tournament and just hung up on her own. But she was determined. She was going to do everything in her power to earn her sister's trust back, and nothing was going to stop her!

Yang took several deep breaths to try and calm herself down. She came dangerously close to activating her Semblance when she was chewing out her uncle, and she didn't want to accidentally cause any permanent damage to her partner.

"Well, that was quite the show!" exclaimed Naomi as she appeared on Yang and Jaune's video screens. "It's not my place to pry, so I'll leave the subject alone. Just try not to cry when we win this battle!"

Jaune calmed down and smirked back at the Red Comet.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you." Jaune said.

All chatter was stopped when the Judge finally landed and began the procedure to start the battle.

 **"The area within a three mile radius is a designated Zoid Battlefield. This Zone is now restricted! Only competitors and personnel have authorized entry. Danger! All others must leave the area at once! Area scanned… Battlefield, set up! The Blitz Team vs. the Flugel Team!"**

"Judge, I'm sending in my Warrior Registration now!" Yang said.

She took her Zoid Gear and placed it into her Elephander's Zoid Computer. After waiting for a few minutes, the Judge spoke up.

 **"Registration of warrior Yang Xiao Long as a member of the Blitz Team has been accepted!"**

While the Judge verified Yang's registration, everyone else took the time to install their own Zoid Gears as per the guidelines set by the Zoid Battle Commission. And with that out of the way, things were about to heat up big time.

 **"Battle Mode 0988. Ready… FIGHT!"**

Once the battle started, Qrow and Ruby charged at the Blitz Team while Naomi scrambled to get to a vantage point. But the Blitz Team was ready for them. Qrow unsheathed the twin scythes of his Rev Raptor and tried to go after the Liger Zero, but he was cut off by an armored missile in the form of Leena and her Dibison.

"Nice try, Branwen! But if you want to get to Jaune, you'll just have to get through me first!" Leena declared.

Qrow's Rev Raptor hissed as it got up and shook off that impressive hit from Leena's Dibison and its powerful horns.

"That can be arranged easily brat!"

Qrow fired his six shots from the Small Beam Cannons on his Rev Raptor, and showed that he clearly doesn't know how to aim. Each shot missed the Dibison quite easily, despite being at near point blank range. Leena grinned as she knew what to do.

"You call that shooting?" she taunted. "I'LL SHOW YA SHOOTING!"

She shot four of her six shots at the Rev Raptor and unlike Qrow, she hit her target with the ease of a well seasoned war veteran. Qrow cried out in outrage at the fact that he'd been beaten so easily and punched the control screen of his Rev Raptor.

"This stupid pile of junk! I should've hit her with those shots!" Qrow growled.

But what he didn't realize was that the soul of the Rev Raptor had awoken at that moment. And it heard every word Qrow had spoken. It let out a small hiss that was laced with sadness at its pilot's hurtful words. And Leena noticed this.

"Hey, if you don't want the Rev Raptor anymore, I'll buy it off ya! I'm sure I can find a pilot who's way more deserving of such an amazing Zoid than you are!" Leena said.

Qrow just let out an indignant huff and said one thing before getting out of the cockpit.

"You can have the piece of trash!"

All of the Blitz Team heard that one, and they all planned to have some choice 'words' with the scruffy drunk man. But we'll get to that later. Right now, we have a battle to get to.

Naomi had gotten to her vantage point at the edge of the cliff. She pushed a few buttons and the chair in her cockpit flattened out before rotating to a special cockpit that was meant to work with her Sniper Rifle. Her Gun Sniper turned around, flattened out its tail, and anchored itself to the ground with its large toe claws.

While this was going on, Jaune and Liger Zero had managed to get to the base of the cliffs and were ready to use their new cannon. Jaune's targeter was locked onto the Gun Sniper, and he fired his first round! The shot was unsuccessful, however, as it missed Naomi by mere inches.

"Okay, I've got the wind speed down. Now to check for actual accuracy." Jaune said to himself.

He pulled the trigger two more times and fired another shot. Unlike the first one, however, this one managed to clip the Zoid and take a bit of armor off of the Gun Sniper. With the gun's calibration complete, Jaune grinned as an idea came to mind. He fired his last four shots which all hit the cliff. It looked like he missed, but in reality the cliff just under Naomi was where Jaune was aiming for.

"...I've seen bad shots before, but you take the cake." Naomi said.

Unknown to Naomi, the rest of the Blitz Team was smirking from within the Hover Cargo.

"Looks like the whole plan's coming together quite nicely." Leon commented. "She doesn't even realize that Jaune was aiming for structural weak points on the cliff!"

"I tell ya now, that victory is practically ours!" Doc cheered.

Liger Zero roared and shifted his back a bit. Jaune instantly got the message.

"You're right, Liger. Now that phase one is complete, we can jettison the gun and implement phase two of my plan." Jaune said.

The blonde boy pushed a few buttons and the Long Range Cannon was ejected from the Liger Zero's back with a loud hiss of pressurized air. Liger Zero rolled his shoulders and got ready to run for a close range battle. And run he most certainly did!

Meanwhile, Ruby's Blade Liger and Yang's Elephander were ready to fight. The Blade Liger roared and brandished its blades while the Elephander trumpeted and stomped its feet in challenge. Both Zoids started out as wild Zoids, so the instinct to fight each other and prove who was stronger was still there.

"So, tell me. How did you come across your red Blade Liger?" Yang asked.

"Well, I had just got to this continent with Uncle Qrow and got separated from him not long after. He had gone to a bar to drink without telling me first, so I had no idea where he was. I ended up leaving town and looking out in the wilds where after narrowly escaping a small group of Guysak Zoids, I met my Blade Liger. We've been partners ever since, and we're going to beat you and your Elephander and bring you home!" Ruby explained/declared.

Yang actually smirked at the challenge that was presented to her. And the Elephander was also ready for a challenge.

"You're free to try, Ruby!" Yang declared. "Let's go, Elephander!"

The Elephander let out a loud trumpet in response while Ruby's own grin grew. This was just the kind of battle she needed after such a rotten week!

"Blade Liger, let's show these guys why Ligers are at the top of the food chain!" Ruby exclaimed.

And the Blade Liger roared in agreement. It extended its Laser Blades and rushed at the Elephander with every intention of defeating a strong opponent like this one. Ruby pushed a few buttons and the Liger's blades pointed forward and began to glow much more intensely as she diverted all of the Liger's shield energy directly to the blades.

But Yang was ready for her. She activated the Elephader's Strike Iron Claw attack and got ready to take a swing at the Blade Liger. All the while, she too was diverting the shield energy of her Elephander's Hyper Energy Shield directly to the claws of the trunk.

The Elephander built up power as it got ready to swing its trunk, just as the Blade Liger jumped at the elephant Zoid with the intent of running it through with her blades.

 **"BLAZING DIVIDE ATTACK!"** Ruby cried out, naming her attack.

 **"SPIRIT CLAWS!"** yelled Yang as she too named her attack.

Time seemed to freeze for a second as the attacks of the two zoids collided with each other. Electrical energy sparked off of the point where the blades of the Liger met the claws of the Elephander, but time eventually resumed as something shocking happened.

The Elephander's own attack actually broke the blades right off of the Blade Liger! Luckily, they were clean breaks so they'd be easy to repair and strengthen in order to lessen the chances of the blades being destroyed in combat again. But that didn't make Ruby any less worried for her partner, though.

"NO, LIGER!" cried Ruby.

She grunted as the force of the Elephander's attack sent her and the Liger flying back before they landed hard on their back. And this left them exposed to Yang's final attack.

"Elephander, let's beat them using the AZ 105mm Beam Gun and the AZ 115mm Pulse Laser Gun! Show this cat why elephants aren't easy prey!" Yang exclaimed.

And the Elephander trumpeted as it readied its weapons. Firing six shots from the turret on its back, the Elephander easily bombarded the Blade Liger and froze its computer system due to being unable to activate the Energy Shield in time.

Ruby just sighed. She was disappointed in her loss, but at the same time she had fun fighting against her sister with her Zoid by her side. But she admitted that perhaps it wasn't her best idea to use her ultimate attack right off the bat.

"Well, it looks like you win, Yang. And you know what, I'm going to do everything I can to earn your trust again!" Ruby declared. "And to start on that, I'm going to travel across this continent with my beloved Blade Liger and become an even better Zoid warrior than I was before!"

Yang smirked and laughed a bit at Ruby's proclamation. But she was proud of her sister for trying so hard. It proved that she was serious about mending their sisterly bond.

"Sure, kiddo. I'll be waiting for the day you challenge the Blitz Team to a battle again." Yang said.

Having heard the talk between Yang and Ruby, Jaune couldn't help but smile. Even he just couldn't stay mad at Ruby forever. She was like another little sister to him, and he was glad that she was trying so hard to fix things.

"Okay, it looks like Yang's beaten Ruby! Let's kick it into high gear, Liger! We can't let them outshine us!" Jaune said.

He increased the Liger Zero's speed until he was going as fast as he could without Ion Boosters. He was swerving all over the place, and Naomi was having a very hard time getting a lock on him with her Sniper Rifle.

"I've never seen a Zoid move with that kind of speed before!" Naomi said to herself. "Hm, too bad!"

She moved her Gun Sniper a bit to try and gain a better vantage point, but this proved to be a crucial error on her part. The ground had suddenly collapsed from under her, causing her to skid down the side of the cliff!

 **"WHAT HAPPENED?!"** Naomi asked in shock.

Then she remembered those last four shots that Jaune had fired at the ground beneath her. They must've weakened the structural integrity of the cliff enough so that if she moved, it would've collapsed! She also remembered his first two shots. It was almost like he was… calibrating the gun!

" _Wait! Did he fire all six shots to trap me like this ON PURPOSE?!"_ Naomi thought to herself.

Her Zoid landed on its side as Jaune and Liger Zero drew closer and closer to the Gun Sniper. Just like last time, Liger Zero began to glow as he powered up his greatest attack. Jaune called it out just like he did against the Tigers Team in his first battle.

 **"Let's finish this, Liger! Strike Laser Claw!"** Jaune called.

Naomi wasn't going to make it easy for him!

 **"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"** she cried in defiance.

Using her Sniper Rifle, Naomi fired her first and final bullet of the battle. But the Liger Zero surprised them all by doing something that no ordinary Zoid should be capable of. It jumped over Naomi's bullet!

"He jumped over it!" Naomi said in shock. "How did he...?!"

"Smooth move, Liger!" Jaune said.

Gravity aided Jaune and Liger's final attack as they managed to slice of one of Naomi's Gun Sniper's arms and a Missile Pod! Her Zoid fell to the ground as its computer system froze. Once Liger Zero stopped his attack, the Judge sounded the end of the battle.

 **"The battle is over! The battle is over! the winner is... The Blitz Team!"**

"Listen Dad… I'm going away on a trip." Leon said to his father.

Doctor Toros turned off the monitor and looked at his son with a big grin on his face. And who can blame him? This is the second win in a row that the Blitz Team has achieved in a long time! And none of their Zoids were defeated in the process this time!

"Great idea, son! Why don't we all head to the beach to celebrate our victory!" Doc suggested.

"That's not what I meant. I want to get out and see the world, Dad. Just like Jaune and Yang did as Hunters in training." Leon clarified.

"I'm not sure I'm following you, son." Doc admitted.

"Leon, what about the team?" Jamie asked.

He was worried that without Leon on the team their chances of victory would be greatly diminished. But Leon didn't seem too worried about that.

"You'll be fine with Jaune and Yang. Now that I'm positive, they can take my place on the team." Leon said.

All three members of the Blitz Team were having a good ol' time celebrating their victory against the Flugel Team. They already had called in someone to load up the Rev Raptor into their Hover Cargo, and Jaune was going to get ready for his first big project! Fixing up the Rev Raptor!

* * *

 _ ***To Be Continued…***_

* * *

 _ **For the design of Yang's Elephander Zoid, Google Zoids Genesis Elephander and you'll see what it looks like.**_

* * *

 _ **Ending Narration (Leena): "Jaune just went through this odd Soul Bond ritual with Yang's mom, and I'm not quite sure who his other three soulmates are. I already know that one of them is Yang, but why does that make me feel jealous? What? You think I'M one of them?! And now Harry and some blonde monkey are harassing us! Next time on RWBY New Century Zero: Rewrite; The Prince Harry Champ and Sun Wukong the King of the Banana Horde! Ready… FIGHT!"**_


	4. Bonus Chapter!

_**I actually meant to put this at the end of the previous chapter, so consider this a little bonus chapter. So let's get on with that, shall we? Also, I posted a poll for Sun's Zoid on my profile. So be sure to vote on that so I can write the next chapter!**_

 _ ***I still don't own RWBY or Zoids!***_

* * *

 _ **Bonus Chapter! Bonding Of The Souls!**_

* * *

It was late at night at the Blitz Team headquarters, and this was normally when everyone was asleep. But not tonight. No, tonight everyone was awake and waiting to see what was going to happen. Even Leon, who decided to leave on his journey the next day, was there to witness a key part of the Branwen tribe's ancient culture.

Standing in the middle of an empty storage room, a shirtless Jaune was waiting patiently as Raven drew a circle around him using what seemed to be a mixture of Dark Isle sand, Thunderbird Nightshade, ground up Gooseberry seeds, Black Bird feathers and oregano. Don't ask me why she chose oregano. I honestly thought she would have gone with chilli powder.

Leena and Yang were having a very hard time keeping themselves from drooling over Jaune's exposed upper body. While he's not exactly 'beefy' by any means, he still has a good amount of lean yet strong muscle on him. And both women found themselves preferring this particular body type. Especially in Yang's case, since she used to always have a bunch of muscle heads trying to woo her. She ended up either punching them through walls if they went too far, gently shooed them away if they took a hint, or ended up beating them away with a stick if they were too stubborn.

Usually all three.

Anyway, once she was done drawing an intricate circle in the ground around Jaune, Raven made a cut on the boy's arm that was deep enough to draw blood. She collected the blood in a small bowl before Jaune's Aura healed the wound. Using a paint brush, the black haired woman began to write out these very intricate runes from five points of the circle all the way up Jaune's body. The runes travelled up his back, chest and arms to a star mark painted in blood on the base Jaune's neck where his left collarbone was located.

Once she was done, she put the brush down and began to focus her Aura into her palms and got ready for the final step.

"Okay Jaune, the Soul Bond ritual is almost complete. Are you ready for the final step?" Raven asked.

Jaune just closed his eyes and nodded. He had a feeling this was going to hurt, so while he mentally prepared himself Raven began to chant in an ancient language as her Aura travelled from her hands to the mark on Jaune's neck.

*"Ahnen der Zeit längst, ich rufe dich jetzt endlich an! Binde die Seelen derer so jung und hilf ihnen, ihr Bestimmtes zu finden! Wurzel jetzt ... Bindung der Seelen!"*

Suddenly, Jaune's eyes began to glow completely white as his Aura flared around him like a raging wild fire! The glow was so intense, it forced most of the people gathered to shield their eyes lest they risk going blind! The runes around Jaune began to travel up the boy's body as four ropes of his Aura shot out from his body and looped around four people. Although we only know two of these people.

While two of these strands of Aura flew off into the distance while still being connected to Jaune, the remaining two looped around Yang and Leena before tying themselves around the two girls' waists. The Aura knotted off and caused Leena and Yang's eyes to begin glowing the color of their own Auras. Yang's glowed a bright burning yellow like when her Semblance activates, and Leena's eyes glowed a brilliant fuschia as her own Aura was unlocked.

The three teenagers began floating about a foot off the ground as the ritual's effects began to do something to their Auras. Some of Jaune's own Aura began to enter into the girls and mix with their own Aura. The same could be said as Yang's yellow Aura and Leena's fuschia Aura bled into Jaune's white Aura and mixed with it.

But what puzzled everyone was the red aura and the black aura that bled into Jaune's own Aura and mixed with it.

There was a brilliant flash of colors as the ritual was complete, and the three teenagers gently floated down to the floor out cold. And on their collar bones were the same mark as Jaune.

The twin crescent moon mark of the Arc family. Only while the one on Jaune's neck is multi colored due to having multiple soulmates, Leena and Yang had one moon mark that was the same color as their respective aura while the other moon symbol is white like Jaune's aura.

Raven took a moment to check on them and sighed in relief. They were all sleeping soundly. In all honesty, she wasn't quite sure if the ritual would even work. It hasn't been performed since the beginning of the Grimm, so there was a fifty percent chance that it wouldn't work.

"They're alive. They just need a good night's sleep, and they'll be ready for anything the next day." Raven reported.

"That's a relief." sighed Doctor Toros. "Let's get them to bed and get some shut eye ourselves. It's been a long day for everyone."

The others nodded in agreement with Sarah actually yawning loudly as she moved to help get her son into bed. But what she and the others really want to know is… who are Jaune's other two soulmates?

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued…**_

* * *

 _ **Translation from German: Ancestors of times long past, I call upon you now at long last! Bind the souls of those so young, and help them find their destined one! Take root now... bond of souls!**_

 _ **If you guys have any suggestions as to who should be the last two girls who are Jaune's soulmates, send them in the reviews. I'll then put them on a poll and the two girls with the most votes will be it. The poll will be up until the tenth chapter, so be sure to send in your choices. The girl can be someone from Remnant, or she can be from the Zoids New Century Zero anime. Just send your choices.**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Okay, now that that's out of the way, the poll will be posted for the remaining two of Jaune's soulmates that have yet to be revealed. I got a lot of good choices from everyone, and I gotta say guys, this is probably going to be one of the closest polls yet. But without further ado, on to the new chapter, shall we? Also, be sure to check out my YouTube channel if you haven't yet. It's a character channel called Emperor Frost, I do Let's Plays currently and I do plan to do some reaction videos when I figure out how. So, be sure to check out my channel and Poison Dart that subscribe button!**_

 _ ***I still don't own RWBY or Zoids!***_

* * *

 **"Organized under strict rules and regulations Zoid Battles are fighting competitions held on enormous battlefields using mechanical combat units known as Zoids."**

 **"The enthusiast young warriors put their pride on the line and sharpen their skills against one another."**

 **"Battle Mode approved."**

 **"Area scanned…"**

 **"Battlefield set up."**

 **"Ready… FIGHT!"**

* * *

 _ **The Prince Harry Champ and Sun Wukong the King of the Banana Hoard!**_

* * *

In a dark room, gunfire sounded loud enough for many people to hear. A single pilot with his best Zoid was shooting at enemy Velociraptor Type Zoids in a pitch black room in order to simulate his favorite Battle Mode. Battle Mode 0973: also known as Blind Battles.

His Zoid was built tough, and the pilot was easily taking down his enemies with no trouble at all! He took down the last of them with the Gatling Gun mounted on the back of his Zoid. The lights turned back on to reveal that the piloted Zoid hadn't taken so much as a scratch of damage from his training session. The final raptor Zoid hit the ground smoking and sparking just like its brethren.

Now that the room is lit up, we can see what Zoid was actually fighting. It's a Styracosaurus Type Zoid known as a Dark Horn. Derived off of it's predecessor, the Red Horn, the Dark Horn was meant to be more heavily armed with greater weaponry and overall superior sensory abilities than a Red Horn. However, this Dark Horn is different from an ordinary Dark Horn. This one is leaner and has different types of weapons than an ordinary member of it's species. It also has two golden horns on it's snout like a rhinoceros unlike the single horn of an ordinary Dark Horn. Even the stabilizer knobs, sensory equipment and weapons are either gold or have gold accents.

"That completes the live ammunition training. All Rev Raptors destroyed. Perfect, Harry!" said a robotic voice.

The cockpit of Harry's Dark Horn opened up to reveal a pilot that was male and looked to be around the same age as Jaune. Maybe a year older. He had an arrogant air about him, and his aura screamed rich boy. He looked pretty smug from his little accomplishment during this training session.

 _"My name's Harry Champ. I'm a man destined to be king!"_ Harry thought to himself.

He opened his eyes, and looked at a wallet sized picture of Leena that was taped to the inside of his Zoid's cockpit. He seems to be infatuated with the girl. Just don't ask me why, her tsundere personality would be considered a major turn-off for most men. Then again, it might just be for a shallow reason such as Leena's looks.

Speaking of Leena…

 **"Alright, Yang! Here I go!"** Leena yelled.

"He's starting to panic!" Yang said in response.

The team was currently in a Zoid Battle with a team that was comprised of two Panther Type Zoids called Hellcats, and a Saber Tiger. No one on their team had been hit yet, but things were starting to get a little hectic. One of the Hellcats charged at Yang's Elephander and fired.

Both our favorite blonde brawler was prepared. Her Elephander's ears began to glow and a powerful Energy Shield appeared in front of it, tanking the blasts that might've done some damage. Yang smirked and began to converse with her Zoid.

"What do ya say, big fella? Wanna beat this guy with the 45mm Machinegun?" Yang asked.

In response to this, the Elephander trumpeted and deactivate his shield before firing a barrage of bullets from the Machinegun located at the base of its trunk at the enemy Helcat. The pilot of the Panther Type Zoid did his best to avoid the incoming fire, but it was all for naught. His Zoid was taken down with quick efficiency.

While this was going on, Jaune was overseeing the battle and waiting for the right moment to strike. Much like many of the earth's predator species. He knew that this team might try something cowardly, and he was right.

He knew exactly what this team was planning when he saw the Saber Tiger charging at Leena while the remaining Helcat circled around. No words needed to be exchanged between Jaune and Liger Zero as they rushed in to save Leena and her Zoid.

Meanwhile, Leena was too focused on the enemy Saber Tiger that was running towards her to notice the enemy team's plan of attack. She smirked as she thought she had this in the bag.

"This Saber Tiger must be the leader of the team, huh?" Leena deduced.

She prepared her Dibison's Megalo Max cannon for her Zoid's signature attack. Several targeters appeared on her screen before converging on the charging Saber and becoming one.

"Well, here's some tiger food for thought!" Leena said.

But before she could shoot, Jaune and the Liger chased off the enemy Saber Tiger and caused her to lose the lock on that she had. Needless to say, she was pissed the hell off!

 **"Hey! What do you think you're doing, Jaune?! I had him! Get out of my line of fire!"** yelled Leena.

But Jaune wasn't intimidated in the least. After all, Yang is far scarier than Leena when she's mad. And that's just when she hasn't activated her Semblance! But lately, it seems as though the fear of Yang when she's angry and has activated her Semblance has diminished greatly since the Soul Bond was formed with her and Leena. Why, I'm not quite sure.

"Don't let yourself be fooled by tactics like those! That Saber was just acting as live bait! Go after him, and I'll finish off the last Helcat!" Jaune ordered.

He didn't wait for a response as he ran off after that last Helcat. While Leena was a bit skeptical about that answer, she knew better than to question certain orders on the battlefield and went off to take down the Saber Tiger. The last Helcat went into a panic when their team's strategy was figured out, and began firing like crazy!

But Liger Zero has far greater maneuverability and speed and was easily able to dodge all of the random gunshots from the enemy Zoid. Not wanting to waste time with any flashy stuff, Jaune and the Liger went with a technique that they were in the process of perfecting.

Coming to a stop a few feet away from the enemy, Liger Zero Empire roared as it crouched down and positioned its tail like a scorpion before opening fire with his tail gun. Jaune had recently discovered that the Liger's tail actually conceals an AZ 108mm High-Density Beam Gun which was the perfect weapon for pulling of the technique they just used. The shots hit home and sent the Helcat to the ground with its system frozen.

Now all that's left is the enemy Saber Tiger.

The pilot was shooting like crazy at the Dibison using its TEZ 20mm Linear Laser Gun as the Dibison charged at the big cat Zoid. However, in the pilot's panic it missed every shot and Leena didn't even need to dodge. Leena smirked in anticipation. It's been awhile since she last used this particular attack.

"You should've realized that if you mess with a bull, YOU'RE GONNA GET THE HORNS!" shouted Leena.

Her Dibison rammed its horns into the enemy Saber Tiger before throwing it right up into the sky! Upon landing and tumbling across the ground, the impact was more than enough to freeze its system and win the battle for the Blitz Team.

 **"The battle is over! The battle is over! The winner is… The Blitz Team!"**

It was another win for the Blitz Team… But at the same time, it was a rather close call. Had Jaune and the Liger not interfered with the team's plan for the Dibison, both the Zoid and the pilot would've been in serious trouble.

Meanwhile, Harry watched the whole battle from afar. He knew that Leena would've been fine, as the Dibison is built like a tank with heavy armor that is meant to protect both the pilot and the vulnerable internal parts of the Zoid. Harry removed his binoculars, and smirked at the screen.

 _"My name's Harry Champ. I'm a man destined to be king!"_ Harry said to the audience in his head.

That's when he suddenly noticed a very crucial fact. It was the fact that Leena was hitting on some random blonde guy! At least, that's what it looked like to Harry, since he's not very good at reading lips.

"Hold the train, who is that guy? And what's he doing with MY Leena?!" Harry asked himself.

"A shock cannon with a triple barrel…" Jaune said to himself.

"Jaune, listen to me! Why did you go and let me have that Saber Tiger when you could've taken it down yourself? Not that I'm complaining, or anything, but you could've scored yourself a ton of individual points for bringing down a Zoid of that caliber!" Leena questioned.

But Jaune wasn't listening. He just got a great idea for a weapon to add to Liger Zero's arsenal.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, At Beacon Academy…***_

* * *

Neptune was busy looking around for his team's leader. As he wandered the courtyard of Beacon, he couldn't help but feel as though something was going on. The school just doesn't seem as lively as it once was when he and his team first got there, and the atmosphere was tense and depressing to just about everyone.

"What is going on here? Why does this atmosphere feel so tense?" Neptune asked himself. "And why am I getting the most ominous sense that I screwed up big time?"

He had no time to ponder this as there was suddenly the flash of lightning and the boom of thunder.

Neptune looked up to see storm clouds rolling in overhead and felt his worst fear come true as a drop of water landed on his nose. Neptune screamed like a little girl and ran off in search of shelter.

 **"I HATE WATER!"** screamed Neptune.

He suddenly clung to a now very annoyed Glynda Goodwitch, who was patrolling the school grounds from underneath an umbrella. She sighed in annoyance as the drenched boy ended up soaking her clothes. And the fact that he was gripping her with both his arms and legs didn't help matters.

"Mister Vasilias, you seriously have GOT to get over this!" Glynda said.

Her voice caused Neptune to snap out of it and realize who he was clinging to, but he didn't let go.

"Uhhh… get over what?" Neptune asked nervously.

He glanced at the falling water and sighed as he knew that Glynda has a point. This fear of water he has is just downright ridiculous. I mean, he uses a ton of umbrellas just to walk out in the rain, he wears a pair of floaties in the shower, and he let Jaune almost drown when he was taking over lifeguard duty for Sun! Not one of his prouder moments, especially when Yang punched him through a wall for it after she resuscitated Jaune. Sighing in resignation, Neptune could only say one thing to the platinum blonde teacher.

"Okay, maybe you're right."

Glynda just shook her head in disappointment.

"By the way, have you seen Sun anywhere?" Neptune asked before adding "I've been looking for him all day!"

"I haven't seen mister Wukong since classes let out for the day. But I'm sure he's fine. He's probably just raiding a Nevermore's nest for bananas again." Glynda said.

...Well, she'd be half right about that.

* * *

 _ ***Back With The Blitz Team…***_

* * *

Raven was hard at work making repairs to the damaged Rev Raptor that her idiot brother abandoned like a piece of garbage. The poor Zoid definitely was built strong unlike most of it's species, but due to the inferior piloting skills of Qrow it never got the chance to truly show its stuff.

Even now as Raven was replacing several wires in the console, she saw that there were several that needed to be replaced and showed signs of poor maintenance done on it. Luckily, the Blitz Team had all of the parts she'd need to fix up the poor Raptor.

"Don't you worry, Rev Raptor. I'll have you fixed up and ready to fight again in a jiffy!" Raven said to the Zoid.

And rather than staying silent like most other Zoids do, this Rev Raptor responded with a purring sound that showed how relaxed and happy it was now that Qrow would no longer be piloting it. Raven smiled at the Zoid and kept working diligently to bring it back up to snuff.

"Hey, how's the Rev Raptor doing?" Sarah asked.

She had just gotten back from a parts shop with some new armor for the Rev Raptor to replace what was destroyed by the Dibison's barrage. Looks like Qrow chose to use shoddy armor that was lightweight and increased speed, but was way too thin to offer any real protection to the Zoid. So while you saw a fifty percent increase in speed and mobility, you'd also see a seventy five percent decrease in power AND durability! You wouldn't last if you were hit by even a small Beam Rifle at its least powerful setting!

"Repairs are going to take some time, but this big guy will be okay with a little TLC." Raven replied. "So, did they have what I asked for?"

"Yes. I was actually quite surprised that they were able to pull it off, but they did it. Specialized Rev Raptor armor with Gun Sniper Missile Pods for a little extra long range firepower." Sarah replied. "It's both lightweight to maximize speed, but it's also durable enough to tank quite a few hits without problems!"

Raven grinned when she saw the armor. It was red with black streaks and looked like perfect protection for the Rev Raptor. Not to mention having a few more ranged weapons would definitely make her feel a lot safer than without them.

"Alright, Sarah. Help me out with fixing up the Raptor, then we'll attach the armor. And then I've got to run a bunch of tests to make sure everything's in working order." Raven said.

"You got it! Let me just grab some tools." Sarah replied with a nod.

While these two were working to help the obviously neglected Rev Raptor, Jaune was working on his own project for Liger Zero.

Jaune sighed in annoyance as he looked at the mess of parts before him. A contact that he's done lots of good business with sent him a triple barrel Shock Cannon as a gift for all of the good business they've done together, but what he neglected to tell Jaune was that the darned thing was still in pieces! Fortunately, many of the pieces are pretty big so he won't have to worry about losing any.

Jaune sighed again as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Jimbo, you have great weapons man, you really do. But next time, I wish you'd remember to TELL me when something's 'some assembly required' before I make a purchase!" Jaune said to himself.

"Hey Jaune,"

Our blonde male pilot looked to see Leena walking up behind him. She looked like she had something on her mind, but he wasn't quite sure what it is.

"What's up, Leena?" he asked.

"I ran a scan of the battle stats when we got back. You were right. That Saber Tiger was just bait, and if you hadn't chased him off I would've been stuck between its close range combat and the Helcat's long range abilities. And you just as easily could have scored yourself a lot of individual points by taking down that Saber Tiger, but you let me take it down instead. So… thanks for the save." Leena said sheepishly.

"No problem, Leena. I'm always happy to help a member of my team." Jaune said with a smile. "Besides, individual points don't really matter much to me. So long as I can acquire some team points, I'm good."

Leena was glad that Jaune was being honest, but mentally sighed at the boy's oblivious nature. He obviously never had much luck with women when he was growing up back on Remnant, and that Schnee girl's ice cold rejections didn't exactly help him. But the Soul Bond should help him understand women better soon.

"How's the Liger's new weapon coming along, by the way?" Leena asked.

"It's no picnic, I can tell you that." Jaune said to Leena. "Jimbo, the weapons dealer who sent me this, forgot to tell me that the weapon was practically a giant jigsaw puzzle in weapon form!"

Jaune sighed again and massaged his temples, feeling a massive headache coming on.

"This is gonna be an all-nighter for sure." groaned Jaune.

Jaune looked around for Yang and wondered why she wasn't back yet. She and her Elephander went out to pick up groceries for the team earlier and the fact that they haven't come back yet was kind of worrisome.

"Leena, I'm concerned about Yang-"

 **"KEEP AWAY FROM MY LEENA!"**

Jaune and Leena looked up to see Harry diving down towards Jaune with his knee poised to strike him down. But Jaune moved out of the way at the last minute and Harry ended up hitting his knee on the concrete floor instead. His eyes bugged out from the pain and he wriggled around on the ground clutching his hurt knee.

" _What the hell was that all about?"_ Jaune thought to himself.

After pulling through the pain, Harry got back up and glared at Jaune.

"THANKS A LOT! If you hadn't moved just then, YOU'D be in pain!" Harry said in anger.

"You must be pretty stupid if you think I'd just let you hit me like that." Jaune replied.

He took a moment to take in Harry's overall appearance. He had pale skin, green eyes, and brown hair that was spiked up at the sides. His clothing consists of a yellow jacket over a green and blue shirt, and brown pants. His jacket had red cloths hanging from behind his elbows, and pink fur details around his shoulders and waist that seemed to connect at the back.

" _This guy seems to be a pompous, rich geek. Reminds me of a certain white haired bitch of a girl from my past who's name I shall not mention."_ Jaune thought to himself.

" _Harry? Wait, this should a be good way to both show that I'm taken, AND get Harry off my back for good!"_ Leena thought to herself with a small grin.

 **"Don't try to change the subject! Answer me! Just what do you think you're doing hitting on MY Leena?!"** Harry asked in rage.

"Oh, we are very close, you know? Can't get much tighter than this!" Leena said while glomping Jaune. "Isn't that right, Jauney?"

Harry gasped in shock and outrage. He turned whiter than a sheet and just stood there with a stupid look on his face as he tried to comprehend the impossibility that Leena was dating someone other than himself. He was so shocked, in fact, he didn't even register the strange breeze that came out of nowhere and made the flaps of his sleeves flutter about.

As for Jaune? He was beginning to blush due to Leena's apparent flirting with him. But he didn't want to believe that he was getting the wrong signals and tried to calm himself down. Which was quite difficult due to how Leena was pressing her chest against his back. And little did he know was that the Soul Mark they each had was actually amplifying these feelings of affection for one another.

' _Why me?'_ Jaune asked himself.

* * *

 _ ***Later At The Champ Team Base…***_

* * *

Back at the base, Harry was sitting on the couch as he finished telling a purple colored robot named Benjamin about what happened at the Blitz Team base.

Harry definitely had an impressive collection of Zoids in his arsenal. He had Zoids like Cannon Tortoises, a Shield Liger, an Iron Kong, a Gordos, a customized Dark Horn, a Gustav, a Helcat, a Heldigunner, a Stealth Viper and even a Gojulas! But let's focus on our current pair of antagonist's feelings of depression and self pity, shall we?

"So that's why you were wandering around like a lost puppy!" Benjamin said in realization. "Huh! You're pathetic!"

 **"WHO ARE YOU CALLING PATHETIC?!** I just... Happened to be looking for something out in the desert! That's all!" Harry said, trying to defend himself with a lame excuse.

And so far, it wasn't working.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Harry." Benjamin replied.

Harry closed his eyes, smiled sheepishly, and began to scratch his head.

"I guess you've got a point. I must've looked stupid." Harry said with a chuckle.

That's when he realized what Benjamin was implying.

 **"HEY! YOU WANT ME TO REMODEL YOU INTO A FANCY CAN OPENER?!"**

While Harry was attempting to either strangle or dismantle the purple robot servant of his, a second robot that was short and green decided to come to Benjamin's rescue.

"Benjamin's right, Harry." The robot said.

Harry didn't seem too happy about the fact that the little green robot was siding with his fellow machine, but decided to at least hear him out.

"Are you gonna turn against me now too, Sebastian?" Harry asked.

"Some newcomer is after your girl! Are you just gonna sit back and watch him take her away from you?" Sebastian asked.

Harry recoiled at what the robot had told them, but he had to admit that he had a point.

"I guess not..." Harry relented.

"Then you'll have to defeat Jaune and take Leena back. Throw down the gauntlet, Harry! You were born to be king! Take him on, and defeat him!" Sebastian encouraged.

Harry gritted his teeth as he thought about a possible future where Jaune and Leena were together. And he hated that possible future! So he pulled himself together and summoned all of his available rage to ready himself for combat.

"YEAAAAAAAH! That's right my friends! My name's Harry Champ, and I'm destined to be king!" Harry declared dramatically. "I'm comin' for ya, kid! So watch yourself, 'cause nobody steals a girl from me!"

Harry began to laugh in a manner that seemed crazy at best, maniacal at worst. Obviously, this guy is obsessed to the point of being beyond reason. And his two robot servants can easily tell this.

"NOW you've done it! What're we gonna do with this guy?!" Benjamin asked.

"At least he'll be off OUR backs for awhile." Sebastian replied.

Although both robots were secretly wondering if they should bring their master to a mental hospital, because this behavior of his is seriously freaking them out!

* * *

 _ ***Later That Day At The Blitz Team Headquarters…***_

* * *

Later that day in the Blitz Team base, Jaune was busy building the new Shock Cannon with Brad's help. Since this new weapon would give Liger Zero more of an edge in battle, Brad was more than happy to help. But there was still one thing that put the mercenary on edge.

"You really should consider yourself lucky." Brad said.

"Why is that?" Jaune asked.

"Because Harry has a thing for Leena, and sees you as an obstacle for her affection. He'll do anything in his power to try and take you down." Brad explained. "It doesn't help that Leena actually seems to like you that way AND is marked with the Soul Bond."

While Jaune was surprised by this new information about Leena, he wasn't all that impressed by Harry's possessive nature. Nor the fact that the rich boy probably wanted him dead.

"Hmph! So what else is new?" Jaune asked bitterly. "It's not like I haven't faced people who've wanted to kill me in the past."

And he's right. He's had to face the likes of Roman Torchwick, members of the White Fang and even some strange girl with an ice cream theme to her look. She was scary with that umbrella of hers! Still, he has to stay focused on the project at hand.

"But what can you tell me about this Harry guy? Is he a warrior, or something?" Jaune asked.

While Jaune worked on the majority of the circuitry for the Shock Cannon, Brad was working on the internal feeder that would allow the Cannon to actually use it's ammo. And while he did that, he gave Jaune as much information about Harry and his team as he could.

"He leads the Champ Team. He's a pompous rich boy who participates in Zoid Battles because it gives him something to do. But he is good, I'll give him that. On top of that, he's got the bucks to pour into fixing up his Zoids. If I were you, I'd take extra caution and watch my back." Brad informed.

Jaune reflected on this new information. If what Brad said was true, then Harry would really be a major threat if he challenged the team to a Zoid Battle. Especially since Jaune didn't know what kind of Zoids Harry's team would be using against them.

And if Jaune was guessing correctly, then that means he'd use his money to buy a powerful Zoid and customize it beyond its normal capabilities. The thought of this made Jaune's blood boil. Rich snobs like Harry and even Weiss always seem to have an unfair advantage with these kinds of things since they have money on their side.

But he'd worry about that later. For now, Jaune was going to just focus on the Shock Cannon he was building for Liger Zero, and try to get their arsenal broadened a bit more.

Suddenly, they heard a beeping noise from the communicator in the hangar. The two men looked at the screen to see Yang with a scowl on her face and her eyes red from anger. And I mean the same red as when her Semblance activates.

"Jaune, Brad, get the rest of the team and meet me in front of the base!" Yang ordered.

"Why? What's going on, Yang?" Jaune asked.

"I found me an unwanted stowaway eating the food we purchased, and I think you'll be interested in punching this yellow monkey's lights out!" Yang replied.

Jaune's eyes widened at that and he immediately put down what he was working on.

"We'll be there in a few minutes." Jaune said, ending the call.

He looked at Brad and motioned for him to follow him. All the while, Jaune's anger was beginning to rise through the roof yet again. He has a pretty good feeling who this 'yellow monkey' is, but he had to be absolutely sure. But if it is who he thinks it is, then he'll deck this monkey in the schnoz!

Once everyone was out in front of the base, they came across an unusual sight. Yang was standing in front of the Elephander with most of their groceries still in the cockpit, but next to her was an open crate that was littered with banana peels. The blonde girl was pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation as the culprit of the banana theft made himself known.

A boy who looked to be Jaune and Yang's age. He's got tan skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, and he has a yellow monkey tail growing out of the base of his spine. He wears an open white shirt that shows off his impressive abs and a pair of baggy blue jeans along with a pair of shoes like a xiaolin monk wears.

"Yang, what is Sun doing eating our bananas?" Jaune asked.

"Apparently, he stowed away on the ship that was importing food from Remnant and I ended up picking up the crate that had HIM in it." Yang said, already feeling a headache coming on.

"Aw, come on! Don't pretend you're not happy to see-OW! My brain box!" yelped Sun as Jaune threw a rock and hit him in the head.

Jaune scowled and stalked closer to the monkey Faunus while everyone else wisely backed away. Leena saw first hand just what Jaune was capable of when he gets mad.

Jaune grabbed Sun by the front of his shirt and looked him dead in the eye, making Sun gulp at the malice and anger in Jaune's now icy blue orbs.

"Who said we were pretending?" Jaune asked. "Ever stop to think that maybe after you guys abandoned Yang to rot in that hell on earth that we no longer had any form of friendship with each other? Did you honestly think that we'd just forgive and forget?"

"Honestly, yeah. I thought you guys would just forgive and forget, and maybe comeback home to Remnant…"

 **"WELL, YOU THOUGHT WRONG! REMNANT IS NO LONGER OUR HOME! OUR HOME IS HERE WITH THE BLITZ TEAM, AND WE ARE NOT GOING BACK TO BEACON FOR ANY REASON! EVER! YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE WE'D RATHER LIVE OUT OUR LIVES ON THE CONTINENT OF ZI FIGHTING ZOID BATTLE RATHER THAN GO BACK TO A HUNTSMAN ACADEMY FULL OF 'INSTRUCTORS' AND 'FRIENDS' THAT WOULD READILY ABANDON US AT THE DROP OF A HAT!"** yelled Jaune.

If Sun was being honest, he was very close to wetting his pants now. This new angry side of Jaune was a side that he didn't ever want to see in anyone, and it looks to him like the evil dark side is consuming Jaune!

Trouble! Bad! Pain!

As for the rest of the Blitz Team, they were actually very scared of Jaune right now due to his anger. So much so that they felt like they were looking at a totally different person. And they didn't like how he was handling this. So Brad decided to try saying something to ease the tension.

"Mom, Dad, please stop fighting." Brad quipped.

"So THAT'S what this is about, huh?" Sun asked.

"Sun, listen I-"

"No, no, it's fine. I was kind of a dick. I get that." Sun said, understanding that his actions were wrong.

"You don't understand, Sun! Ever since that day, I've worried about Yang more than even her own father and Uncle ever did! And when I heard about that crazed Jaguar Faunus raping her, I snapped! In our time as Huntsmen in training, we've seen war, sickness, death and worse. And now, we find out that Ozpin wants to marry me off to several strong women of his choosing just so I can be used to breed soldiers for their use in a war that I don't want any children I have to be in. Honestly… It's just another prison." Jaune said.

His words hit everyone really hard. Sure, the Blitz Team knew what Ozpin's plan was, but they didn't realize that Jaune felt this strongly about it. Even Sun felt absolutely appalled by what he was originally trying to help Beacon's headmaster accomplish. Feeling the effects of the Soul Bond that they shared, Leena and Yang enveloped Jaune in a hug to try and help him cheer up a little bit.

"Wow…! Jaune, I had no idea…" Sun said, truly at a loss for words.

And who can blame him? He's just been told off by one of the few people in the world who don't tolerate Faunus Discrimination. And he had every right to do so.

But it would seem as though the tense atmosphere is about to be broken by...

"Mister Arc, I challenge you!"

You guessed it. Harry Champ... Again…

"Oh, Monty Oum above, why have you forsaken me?" Jaune asked the aforementioned deity.

Jaune wasn't surprised by this challenge. He had expected as much from a pompous snob like Harry. He knew that Harry saw him as an obstacle for Leena's affections that needed to be removed, but he didn't expect the dude to go this far.

"A Zoid Battle with Leena going to the victor!" Harry challenged.

"Leena's not some prize to be won like you're making her seem! She's a person, and I will NOT put up with anyone treating her as anything else!" Jaune said with narrowed eyes.

If there was another thing in the world that he hated, it's slavery. He knows all about the Schnee Dust Company and their use of Faunus Slave Labor and their use of unwilling Faunus test subjects for dangerous and illegal experiments. And the way Harry said that makes Jaune think that Harry's referring to Leena in a way that she's nothing but property.

"But fine, I'll fight you! If only to get you to leave and stop bugging us!" Jaune said.

Harry smirked and took a piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Written on that paper is the time and place of our battle. We'll be battling it out in Battle Mode 0973, so you better prepare yourself!" Harry said, handing Jaune the paper.

As Harry walked away, Sun got an idea. He knows that Jaune wants to stay a Zoid pilot, and so does Yang. But this just might be an opportunity to have a little fun.

"Listen, Jaune. I'm joining the Champ Team for this battle." Sun said.

"What're you getting at?" Jaune demanded.

His tone of voice clearly told Sun to choose his words carefully, or he would die a very slow and painful death.

"You told me that you and Yang want to remain Zoid pilots. I want to see just what makes these Zoid Battles so interesting." Sun explained.

Jaune didn't like the fact that Sun was actually going to be up against them in battle, but he understood where the monkey Faunus was coming from.

"Just don't expect us to hold anything back." Jaune said.

Sun nodded rapidly, not wanting it any other way.

"Hey, Harry! Wait for me!" Sun called, running to catch up with the Champ Team leader.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team had witnessed this whole thing go down. And Leena was honestly touched by how far her soulmate was going to defend her honor as a woman.

"Hey, did you hear what he said, Jamie?" Leena asked.

"I did, but I don't get why Jaune wants to fight." Jamie said honestly.

Leena playfully shoved Jamie as she began to go on another vanity tangent.

"Come off it, silly! It's obvious! Jaune's become so protective of me and Yang that he's willing to fight for our honor as women!" Leena said before sighing dreamily as she envisioned a fantasy. "Oh Jaune… my handsome knight in shining armor!"

Yang just nodded in agreement. She certainly couldn't deny that she's been feeling something for Jaune that was different from friendship since their Beacon days. And now here he is, fighting a Zoid Battle to defend Leena's honor as a woman. Truly, the Arc chivalry gene runs strong within this young man.

But Jamie wasn't so convinced. Not about Jaune's intentions, but about something else that was a part of the big picture.

"Yeah right, But I wouldn't be getting so mushy if I were in your shoes." Jamie said.

Leena looked questioningly at the younger pilot, and he gave her his reasoning for not feeling so good about this type of battle.

"Have you ever stopped to think about what'll happen AFTER the battle? Like what if Harry wins?" Jamie asked.

Leena actually shuddered at the thought of such an outcome. Harry would obviously see her as nothing more than a trophy wife/girlfriend, and she doesn't want that! But she also knows that if she asked him to change his ways, Harry would do so without question due to his own self proclaimed love for her. And she doesn't want that either!

All she wants in a man is someone who will love her for who she is! Someone who won't just change because she asks them to (Unless they were abusive, of course. Hey! It happens all the time in the world today!). And Jaune has both of those qualities and more!

Turning to the hangar where she saw Jaune and Brad getting back to work on the Shock Cannon, Leena couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. Even Yang was happy to have formed a Soul Bond with such a wonderful man. Vomiting on her shoes aside, of course.

* * *

 _ ***The Day Of The Battle…***_

* * *

The Blitz Team was making their way to the battle location in the Hover Cargo. Since it was going to be a four on four battle, Doctor Toros selected Leena, Jaune, Brad and Yang to fight in this one. And while Jamie was driving the Hover Cargo to the battle site, Jaune and the team were going over a strategy to use.

"Okay, team. Now I know you've all got your strong points in normal battles, but there's one thing that all warriors need to be capable of doing. You need to learn to adapt to an unfavorable situation and overcome it!" Jaune said.

He turned to Leena first and began to list all of her strengths and weaknesses.

"Leena, your Dibison is great in both close and long range battle and is built like a tank with heavy armor to protect itself from harm. But at the same time, while you know your Zoid inside and out, you rely too heavily on its seventeen barreled Megalo Max cannon. You rarely ever use the other weapons and you neglect to utilize the horns and hooves when you're close enough. And try not to take this the wrong way, but your temper is almost as bad as Yang's." Jaune said before quickly adding "No offense, Yang."

Yang just grinned and waved it off.

"None taken. I admit, I do have quite a short temper." Yang admitted.

Jaune nodded before turning back to Leena. He could see that she was listening attentively for any advice he might have.

"So, here's what I'm thinking. In this battle, your opponent is most likely to taunt you in order to make you slip up and get sloppy in the battle, and while you might still win, you'll also most likely waste a lot of ammo and take quite a bit of damage. You must not give in to their taunts. Control your anger! And use everything your Dibison has to give yourself an edge!" Jaune said.

Leena was astounded by the sheer amount of knowledge and good advice that Jaune had. She smiled as she knew that if Jaune's old team, more specifically Nora, had actually listened to his advice and followed his strategies instead of doing their own thing they'd probably have been more successful.

"You got it, Jaune! I don't know if I can, but I'll try to keep a tight lid on my temper!" Leena said.

"That's all I'm asking." Jaune said with a smile.

"Well, it's good to see that we might have Leena conserving ammo this time, but the enemy will no doubt use some very agile Zoids against us. And without a turning mount for my cannon, I won't be able to follow them very well." Brad said.

He didn't even get the chance to sulk as Jaune walked up and flicked him in the forehead for that little remark.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Brad asked whilst rubbing his forehead.

"That was for talking nonsense!" Jaune said. "You seem to think that just because a Zoid is mobile and may have better weapons that it has a better chance of winning, but you're wrong! My grandpa Arc once said to me and my sisters 'it is not the weapon that makes the warrior, but the warrior holding the weapon'."

Sarah nodded in agreement at that statement. She witnessed a time when her father in law had actually killed a whole horde of Grimm with nothing more than a slingshot at several sharp stones! ...It was scary!

"The wolf attacks with tunnel vision, Brad! You must be one with the wolf! Unleash the primal fury of the very wolf that you pilot, and show them that you don't need fancy weaponry to be victorious!" Jaune encouraged.

Brad's eyes widened as he realized that Jaune was right. Here he was complaining about his weapons when he should be bringing out the true power of his Command Wolf! Brad smirked after a few minutes.

"Well Jaune, you sure know how to give a pep talk. I'll follow your lead, and when we win the battle the drinks are on me!" Brad said holding out a fist.

Jaune smiled and bumped fists with Brad.

"I'll just have one, thanks. Don't want to make you spend too much of your money." Jaune replied with a grin of his own.

Brad didn't say anything. He just closed his eyes and kept smiling.

' _It ain't about the money anymore, Jaune. You've helped me realize what's more important in life.'_ Brad thought to himself.

"And finally, we have you, Yang. As far as I can tell, your only weaknesses here are your unfamiliarity with the weapons your Zoid possesses and your own recklessness. Remember that no matter how strong you are physically, you can't allow yourself to become sloppy in a fight! So stay sharp and be vigilant!" Jaune advised.

While those comments stung her pride a bit, Yang accepted the advice given to her. She knew that her own recklessness has been her downfall many times in the past and hated that she caused several of her own losses. Especially against that Neo chick.

Somewhere in Remnant, the vertically challenged ice cream lady silently sneezed. Then she scowled as she saw that she had sneezed all over her ice cream.

Back with the Blitz Team, Jaune sat back down and sighed.

"Listen guys… I know that I'm really not much of a warrior when compared to pilots like Leena, Brad, Jamie, Leon or even Yang. But I hope that you'll have my back and follow me into battle as my team and comrades in arms." Jaune said.

No one on the team even needed to think it over.

"Of course we will, Jaune! You don't even need to ask!" Leena replied.

"Consider yourself a member of this wolf's pack." Brad added.

"Pu-leeze, Jaune! You'd have to be crazy if you think you're getting rid of me that easily!" Yang said with a grin.

Jaune allowed himself a small smile upon hearing this. Even though he's not technically a team leader here, it was good to know that he's got a team that'll stand by him instead of against him. Doctor Toros, Raven and Sarah also shared a smile as they watched the team bonding so well. It was like they've been a team for years, rather than Jaune and Yang only joining just recently.

"I hate to break up the moment, but you guys better get ready to mobilize your Zoids. We're approaching the battleground!" Jamie announced.

And it doesn't look like a battlefield that'll be easy to fight in either! It's an abandoned city that looks like it's due for demolition in a few days. However, it's undoubtedly the perfect location for the type of Battle Mode that was selected. It was a blind battle, which the Champ Team specializes in.

In front of the entrance to the city was the Champ Team, plus Sun, in their Zoids. Harry was leading the charge in his custom made Dark Horn, and he lent a Zoid to Sun since he doesn't have one of his own yet.

The Zoid Sun is piloting is a Gorilla type Zoid called an Iron Kong. It has rust colored armor on its upper body and dark black armor as the main body. It's equipped with all of the standard Iron Kong weapons, not that Sun minds. Though he wishes it had nunchucks.

The purple colored robot that was one of Harry's teammates, Benjamin, was piloting a brown colored Cobra Type Zoid known as a Stealth Viper.

And the smaller green robot, Sebastian, was piloting a dark green, almost black Monitor Lizard Type Zoid called a Heldigunner.

' _My name's Harry Champ. I'm a man destined to be king!'_ Harry thought to himself.

Finally, the Champ Team saw their enemy rolling up in the Hover Cargo. But they were ready for this team of fighters. And Harry was still as smug as ever.

"Impressive. I thought you'd be too scared to show up!" Harry said to Jaune, even though the blonde boy can't hear him right now.

"Jaune Arc, good of you to come." Sebastian added.

 **"Sebastian, knock it off! Stop stealing all my lines right when it gets to the good part!"** yelled Harry over the comm link.

"Guys, come on! Break it up! This isn't the time to be fighting, so save it for the battle!" Sun interjected.

Both official members of the Champ Team saw that their temporary Faunus teammate was right. So they quickly got their acts together and mumbled quick apologies.

As the Hover Cargo pulled up to the battle site, it readied the catapult and began to launch the three Zoids that would be fighting here. First up was Jaune and the Liger Zero. Then the Command Wolf. Next was the Dibison. Finally, the front platform opened and out walked the mighty Elephander. Yang's Zoid let loose a loud elephant trumpet upon entering the battlefield and actually mildly stunned Harry.

"An Elephander…! I've never seen one like that one before, but it won't make a difference here!" Harry said to himself.

Once he was sure the enemy was ready for the battle, Harry began dealing out instructions for his team.

"Alright, nobody go after Jaune. He's my target!" Harry ordered.

"Then I'll go after Brad." Sebastian replied.

"I'll take Yang on. My Iron Kong is the perfect choice to fight against a Zoid like an Elephander." Sun said.

"I guess that leaves me with Leena." Benjamin added.

"Yup! Just make sure to go easy on her. **YOU HEAR THAT? SHE MAY BE THE ENEMY, BUT SHE'S MY LEENA!"** ordered Harry.

While the Commission was taking the time to ready the Judge Capsule for the battle, Leena was busy voicing her thoughts and having another fantasy, not realising that she'd left her comm system for her team on.

"Just think of it. Jaune and Harry will be dueling for my love. How gallant! It's just like something out of a love story!" she said to herself with a heavy blush. "Leena, you're so lucky to have found such a wonderful man!"

Yang just rolled her eyes and got a silly grin on her face. She also knows that Jaune is one man whose type she won't find again so easily. Not that she'd ever WANT to find somebody else!

Meanwhile, Jaune was busy calibrating the Shock Cannon and making sure it wasn't going to interfere with mobility and such.

"It might be just a Shock Cannon, but it sure feels safer knowing we have an additional weapon, right Liger?" Jaune asked.

The Liger Zero roared in response, agreeing with his partner. The Shock Cannon is lightweight, it's comfortable and it doesn't decrease mobility at all.

Finally, the Judge Capsule landed and the Judge began to get the battle underway.

 **"Area scanned. Battlefield set up. The Blitz Team vs. The Champ Team. Battle Mode 0973! Ready...? FIGHT!"**

With the battle started, the Blitz Team followed the Champ Team into the abandoned city. Everyone separated in order to pick off their enemies one on one, but it wasn't going to be that simple. Since this was a blind battle, no one was able to distinguish friend from foe. This was going to make quite the challenge for both teams.

"They're going in blind. In that case, they won't need us to provide back-up support, right Doctor Toros?" Jamie questioned.

But the boy was sorely disappointed when he saw the doctor wasn't paying attention to the battle at all. He was just playing around with a couple of Zoid models! A Pteras and a Redler, to be precise. On top of that, Sarah had actually joined him and was playing with a couple of Zoid Models of her own. A Bear Fighter and a Barigator.

"If we attack from up above, they'll go like this! On the other hand, if we escape like so…"

Jamie groaned at the immaturity of his boss and Jaune's mother.

"Don't they realize that this is a ground battle?" Jamie asked Raven, who was also watching the battle.

"Who knows." Raven said in response.

Leena and her Dibison were currently trying to find an enemy to try and get some individual points, but were having no luck just yet. And to be honest, this lack of combat was really beginning to stretch the girl's patience pretty thin.

"I can't believe they challenged us to a blind battle!" Leena complained. "The Dibison's firepower will be a total waste! Not to mention Yang's Elephander seems to be the only one who could navigate in this kind of battle! But then again, that's what Jaune's strategy is for."

Suddenly a blip appeared on her radar, but it didn't say whether or not it was a friend or foe.

"Wait! This one's mine!" Leena said to herself.

The Dibison turned the corner with its Megalo Max Cannon poised to fire. However, Leena stopped herself from attacking when she saw that it was only Brad and the Command Wolf.

"Oh, Leena. It's just you." Brad said, holding his fire.

Leena groaned in both disappointment and relief. Relief that she and Brad didn't hit each other, and disappointment that it wasn't an enemy.

"Watch what you're doing, Brad! It would be a shame if we hit each other!" Leena said.

"That's what I'm supposed to say." Brad quipped.

Having said their piece, Brad and Leena went their separate ways to try and find their enemies, making Sarah and Doctor Toros sigh in relief as their attention had turned to the battle a minute ago.

"That was far too close for comfort! They were about to fire on each other!" Sarah sighed in relief.

"You're right. If they had hit each other, the results could have been devastating!" Doc said in agreement. "But that's the risk you take! In blind battles, not knowing who's around the corner's what makes it so much fun!"

But it wasn't quite so fun for Doctor Toros when he accidentally snapped the head off of his Redler Zoid.

"What have I done to you?! Your head's fallen under the console!" Doctor Toros exclaimed in panic.

As he knelt down to try and get the toy's head out from under the darn thing, Raven and Jamie couldn't help but groan at the immaturity of their boss. Even Sarah had an anime sweatdrop on the back of her head.

"Come on, Doc! The battle's over here." groaned Jamie.

' _Why is this guy head of the team again?'_ Raven mentally groaned.

Quite honestly, Raven was beginning to question whether her old friend was even qualified for his current position.

Jaune and the Liger Zero were currently walking through the abandoned city. They were searching for Harry, knowing that it was better to never get cornered in a blind battle. A bleeping dot on his radar alerted him to one of the enemies attempting to corner him.

"There he is! He's in the building right behind me!" Jaune said to himself.

He spoke too soon as Harry's Dark Horn burst through the building with its guns at the ready. Harry was grinning a maniacal grin that seemed downright evil!

"So there ya are, Jaune! Come to papa!" Harry said arrogantly.

Jaune cursed and made the Liger run away at full speed while Harry kept shooting like crazy in an attempt to freeze the Liger Zero's computer system quickly. But Jaune wasn't letting that happen without a fight! He maneuvered the Liger in ways that dodged the bullets from the Dark Horn while not losing speed. Up ahead, he saw something that would be his saving grace.

"There! We'll pull a tight turn up ahead! That Dark Horn won't be able to make a turn like that." Jaune said to the Liger Zero.

Liger Zero roared in agreement. Using his claws to get a better grip on the ground, the Liger drifted to make a tight left turn and sped off thinking that the Dark Horn wouldn't be able to follow.

And on a normal day against a normal Dark Horn, they'd be right. But this is one of those times where they were wrong.

The Dark Horn had somehow managed to make that tight turn, and kept running after Jaune and the Liger while firing like crazy! Jaune gritted his teeth in confusion.

"A Zoid like that shouldn't be able to make those tight turns! What's with that Dark Horn?" Jaune asked himself.

Harry was all too happy to answer if it meant he could brag about his Zoid.

"This is no ordinary Dark Horn, my friend! This is a Dark Horn Champ Special! It's fitted with a Special Edition Gatling Rifle that can fire three thousand rounds per minute! And this Altar High Density Output Beam Cannon is a custom component as well. Oh! And finally, I've got this High Capacity Thruster Unit!" Harry explained. "This Zoid is specially designed to have both high assault and maneuverability! It's perfect! And befitting a prince like myself! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

As Jaune and the Liger kept running, Harry and the Dark Horn kept running after them while firing a relentless barrage of bullets and energy blasts.

"OH HO, JUST TRY AND GET AWAY!" quipped Harry.

Meanwhile with Leena and her Dibison, she finally heard the gunshots that were ringing out from Harry's Dark Horn and knew that this meant only one thing.

"So it seems they found each other." Leena said to herself.

"Well, hello Leena." said a metallic voice.

Leena had no time to dodge as she was hit by a few shots herself. The barrage stopped as Benjamin and his Stealth Viper slithered over to her. The Viper hissed in challenge as Benjamin decided to taunt his opponent.

"It's not good for you to get distracted."

Now, on a normal day, Leena would've grown very angry by what Benjamin said. However, Jaune's advice was still playing loud and clear in her head, so she took a deep breath and reigned in her anger.

"If you're trying to throw me off my game with taunts, Benjamin, it won't work this time! And you've got more to worry about than just my Dibison's cannon!" Leena declared.

She opened fire on the enemy Stealth Viper using her Bison's Anti Zoid 3-Barrel Shock Cannon, but every shot she fired missed Benjamin! He and his viper slithered away as Leena and the Dibison were quick to give chase. And you should know better than to enrage a bull!

"I'm impressed, Leena! When did you graduate from squirt guns?" Benjamin taunted further.

"About the same time you got off the rag!" quipped Leena.

She fired several more shots from her Shock Cannon, drawing the attention of Yang and the Elephander. The elephant type Zoid trumpeted something that only his pilot could understand, and she grinned as she began to get back some more of her old sense of humor.

"You're right, Elephander. That's gotta be Leena. Only she can be that _bull_ -headed!" Yang quipped whilst making a pun.

The Elephander made some sort of elephant noise akin to laughing while Yang just straight up laughed at her own ridiculous pun. But once their sensors picked up an enemy, Yang quickly activated the Hyper Energy Shield to protect them from the gunfire. Lowering the shield, Yang saw that she was up against Sun and his Iron Kong.

"Okay, Yang! Let's not hold anything back!" Sun said excitedly.

Yang grinned back as the Elephander trumpeted in challenge to the Iron Kong.

"Just don't go _monkeying_ around, Sun!" Yang said.

This time, rather than groaning, Sun actually chuckled a bit at that pun. But not because he thought it was funny.

"Yeah, I'll admit, I deserve that." Sun said.

And with that, the Iron Kong and the Elephander opened fire on each other! The resounding gun shots drew the attention of Brad as he and his Command Wolf stopped to observe their surroundings.

"Sounds like Yang. Knowing her, she's probably up against Sun and that Iron Kong." Brad said to himself.

That's when his sensor went off and he immediately had his Command Wolf jump out of the way as two gun shots hit the area where he was previously standing. The Heldigunner hissed as it slowly walked into the same area as the Command Wolf.

"Brad, I'll be your opponent! Count yourself lucky!" Sebastian said.

Brad just grinned and cracked his knuckles in anticipation. He hasn't gotten the chance to fight again in a Zoid Battle until recently since Yang joined the team, and he's pretty excited about this.

"I'm just happy I got such a weak rival." Brad taunted.

And it looks like Sebastian took the bait like a fish to a worm!

"OHHH, I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET THAT!" Sebastian exclaimed in anger.

He fired two shots at Brad who proved that his Command Wolf was far more agile and far quicker than most other Command Wolves, and jumped back to avoid the blasts. He readied his Long Range Cannon and opened fire against Sebastian. Unfortunately, he missed due to the Heldigunner's smaller stature.

Meanwhile, Jaune and the Liger Zero were still running from Harry and his Dark Horn. The blonde pilot had a plan, but he needs to get to the right spot first in order to pull it off. And Harry was busy laughing as he thought that he had his opponent on the ropes.

"Don't be such a sore loser, Jaune! Come back and play!" taunted Harry.

But just like Leena against Benjamin's taunts, Jaune had near perfect control of his emotions when in battle and just focused on trying to get to the right spot. And looky here, it's like Nascar! Here comes another left turn! And no surprise here, Harry just blindly followed him.

But watching from the monitors of the Hover Cargo, Jamie was ready with some tactical advice for Jaune as he saw something coming up ahead just around the corner.

"THERE! Take a right up there, Jaune!" Jamie said.

But rather than turning, Jaune and the Liger just ran straight ahead with the Dark Horn on their tails. An action that only served to further confuse Jamie.

"What's up? I don't get it! Why wouldn't ya turn to get out of the line of fire?" Jamie asked before adding "Besides, it's a dead end up ahead."

But Doctor Toros seemed to understand at least part of what Jaune was doing. Even Raven and Sarah seemed to have an idea about what his plan was. Finally, Jaune was at the place where he would make the magic happen. He activated the Liger Zero's Ion Boosters and rocketed towards the wall at the end of the path. Harry thought he was mad for pulling a stunt like this, but was soon stunned with serious surprise when the Liger bounced off of the wall with its claws and mane glowing with its signature attack.

 **"EAT THIS, HARRY! STRIKE LASER CLAW!"** Jaune yelled.

The Liger came down with even more power to its claws thanks to the aid of gravity. Its claws sliced clean through the two legs on the left side of the Dark Horn. Having taken such extensive damage, the Zoid fell to its side as its system froze.

 **"NO! NO! NO! NO! LEENA, FORGIVE ME! I'VE FAILED YOU!"** Harry wailed.

Jaune didn't show any signs of pity or sympathy for the rich snob of a boy. Instead, he sighed and then smirked as he could only think of one thing to say.

"That'll teach him to respect women!"

Back at the battle between Leena and her Dibison against Benjamin and his Stealth Viper, Leena had just managed to land quite a few hits on the Cobra Type Zoid and knocked the weapons clean off its head. And that was using the cheek mounted missile pods instead of the Megalo Max Cannon! As the Zoid fell to the ground, Leena and her Dibison stalked up to it. The grin on Leena's face was somewhat demonic as she closed in.

"You know, if you hadn't started taunting me, this would've been so much less painful for you. See, I may not have fallen for your taunts, but I do still have quite a bit of pent up anger towards you for them." Leena said. "Any last words before I crush you like a purple cockroach?"

The Dibison raised its front hoof just as Benjamin began begging for mercy.

"I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean any of those things I said, please forgive me! No! NO! **NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

Unfortunately, his pleas for mercy went unanswered as Leena crushed the Stealth Viper's neck under her hoof and froze the Zoid's computer system. And with that over, she sighed in relief and happiness.

"That feels so much better! Glad I got that out of my system." Leena said.

With Yang, she still wasn't having much luck against the Heldigunner due to her unfamiliarity with the weapons her Zoid possesses. But then she remembered an old saying she heard once. When range fails you, get in close!

And this was definitely the time to get in close!

"Elephander, let's show this guy why you don't mess with the biggest animal on the planet!" Yang said to her partner.

And the Elephander agreed. He charged at speeds far greater than an ordinary Elephander and managed to evade every shot Sun fired at him. Grappling Sun's Zoid with his tusks, the Elephander pushed the Iron Kong back until he had crashed back first into a nearby building! And with the amount of force that went into the attack, the Iron Kong found itself stuck in the darned thing!

"Now, bombs away!" Yang exclaimed.

She aimed her Hyper Laser Gun at Sun and opened fire on the Iron Kong! It took a lot of damage and completely froze its combat system. But that's only three enemy Zoids down. There's still one more.

Brad and Sebastian were still fighting against each other in that alley. Shot after shot was fired from both Zoids, and there were several more misses than there were hits. Finally, Brad had enough.

He charged at the enemy Zoid and barred the Command Wolf's fangs. In his own shock, Sebastian completely neglected to defend himself and ended up with a chunk of armor being bitten out of the Heldigunner! The Monitor Lizard Zoid hissed one final time before it fell to the ground with its system totally frozen. The Judge rang the ending gong and announced the winner.

 **"The battle is over! The battle is over! The winner is… The Blitz Team!"**

The whole team started celebrating yet another win, and Leena suddenly appeared on Jaune's screen.

"Hey Jaune, it looks like you won the battle. Listen, I know you didn't agree to the part of the challenge where I become your girlfriend if you win, but I thought about it and I'd like to give us a chance. What do ya say?" Leena asked with a seductive wink.

Jaune's face reddened so bad, he looked redder than Ruby's cloak. All he could do was nod yes in response before blushing even harder when Leena blew a kiss at him. Once her comm system was turned off, Liger Zero growled at his partner.

"You're right, partner. Women are confusing creatures." Jaune said.

With the battle done, the Zoid and its pilot began walking back to the Hover Cargo. It's been a long day, and they both wanted to rest. But unknown to Jaune, the fuchsia colored part of his Soul Mark began to glow, signifying that the bond between Jaune and Leena has fully taken root.

* * *

 _ ***Later That Evening…***_

* * *

Doctor Toros was sweating nervously as Jaune glared at him. He was not at all happy with the good doctor's parts order, and was now challenging him.

"You can't be serious about equipping these things to the Liger Zero, are you?" Jaune demanded.

He pulled up a hologram of Liger Zero wearing a blue armor with huge boosters on its back, an orange armor with lots of blades, and a green armor that looked bulky and heavy.

"This blue armor is great for high speed battles, but sucks at getting in close. If it had a few guns attached, I might be more inclined to keep it." Jaune said.

He pointed to the orange armor, which had seven blue laser blades.

"This armor has superb close combat abilities, but it has practically no way to fend off enemies that get too close. Again, it would require a few guns." Jaune explained further.

Then he pulled up the image of the green armor. It was an armor that was built like a tank with twin cannons on its back and lots of hidden artillery all over the body. But that probably weighed it down far too much.

"Now this armor is a real problem. It has awesome assault and defense capabilities, but it's heavier than an Elephander! No offense to you or your Elephander, Yang. Like hell would I ever equip such heavy armor to Liger Zero! It would break him beyond repair!" Jaune said.

Doctor Toros slumped down from hearing the faults of these armors.

"I know, but they're meant to function as a single unit! Besides, they look so cool! And they all have their own unique advantages in battle!" Doc said.

"I know that. But that's exactly why I cancelled your order. I know the guys you ordered from, and they know that If I'm not happy with something, then they don't give me the parts. Here, take a look at these instead." Jaune said.

He pulled out two wooden carvings that he had created in his spare time. They were both Ligers. One was white and gold, and the other was a beautiful amethyst purple in color. One seemed to be streamlined and built for speed, handling, and mid to close range combat as well as high speed had many blades, but it also had a few different guns on it to keep any enemies at bay. It also has a lance attached to the right shoulder

The other one looked like it was primarily built for defensive purposes and also seemed to have the greatest long range abilities, being equipped with a lot of weapons. And best of all, they looked way cooler than what doctor Toros was originally gonna buy!

"I designed these armors myself while we weren't in combat or training. Let me talk to some Parts Dealers I know, and we can get the parts delivered to the base." Jaune said.

He then placed a couple of files for each armor in front of Doctor Toros.

"Inside those files is the data for both armors that I created. We can work on fine tuning and fixing any flaws they might have tomorrow, if you want."

"Well Jaune, I can't see any fault in your plan, so… You got a deal! I'll put in the order first thing in the morning! Right after we finish going over everything." Doc said.

"Sweet! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna turn in for the night." Jaune said with a yawn.

He left for his room to get some much needed rest. It had indeed been a long day for the whole team. Jaune was just wondering what sort of challenges awaited them tomorrow.

And then he stopped once Leena surprised him with a goodnight kiss on the cheek. He was still not used to such forms of affection from girls except for his mother and sisters, so he was in a bit of an unusual situation here.

 _*Warning! Jaune EXE. has shut down! Please assist!*_

* * *

 _ ***To Be Continued…***_

* * *

 _ **Ending Narration (Yang): "What's going on?! They can't hit the judge! And where'd this Dark Judge replacement come from?! A sinister organization that bends all the rules has been seriously messing with the Zoid Battles. And they decided that the best way to get the Blitz Team to fight them in an unsanctioned battle is… Kidnapping me! I'm getting flashbacks from this horrible experience! SAVE ME, JAUNE! Next time on RWBY New Century Zero: Rewrite; Illegal Battle: The Mysterious Backdraft Group is Coming After Us! Ready… Fight!"**_


	6. Chapter 5

**"Organized under strict rules and regulations Zoid Battles are fighting competitions held on enormous battlefields using mechanical combat units known as Zoids."**

 **"The enthusiast young warriors put their pride on the line and sharpen their skills against one another."**

 **"Battle Mode approved."**

 **"Area scanned…"**

 **"Battlefield set up."**

 **"Ready… FIGHT!"**

* * *

 _ **Illegal Battle! The Mysterious Backdraft Group Is Coming After Us!**_

* * *

 **"Twenty minutes elapsed."**

On a Zoid Battlefield, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle between a Godos and a Heldigunner. The Heldigunner had just dodged a few of the Godos' rounds and opened fire on the bipedal Zoid. But the Godos just ran ahead as the blasts completely missed it. The match actually looked to be quite close.

But while the two Zoids were fighting, someone shady appeared on a nearby cliff. He has slicked back black hair and is wearing a pair of strange looking shades. And I can already tell by looking at him that he's bad news.

"This is one of the most boring battles I've ever seen." he said to himself.

He looked up just as the camera pans back to the judge who was monitoring the battle.

 **"Thirty minutes elapsed-"**

A huge explosion from the judge capsule stopped all activity on the field, and when the smoke cleared we can clearly see why. A huge metal ball crashed on top of the judge and put him out of commission!

 **"DANGER! DANGER! BATTLE CANCELLED! Battle cancelled! Baaattllleee cancelleeeeeddd…"**

 **"Look, the judge has taken a hit!"** exclaimed the Godos pilot.

"Well, what about the battle?!" asked the Heldigunner pilot.

"It's over, and the Backdraft Group wins by default!" said the shady man.

Not long after he said that did the metal ball start spinning all by itself and moving towards the two pilots! Not good! VERY NOT GOOD!

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile With Jaune…***_

* * *

Driving back from a local parts shop, Jaune had been sent out by doctor Toros to get some new equipment for the Zoids. Fortunately, Jaune had been able to buy himself a nice truck using some of his Prize Money from the Zoid Battles he's been in thus far. At least this meant transportation and hauling cargo wouldn't be a problem.

The blonde boy was pretty tired from having spent the whole day getting supplies. Not to mention the constant reminders he had to keep giving himself not to forget to pick up the part Leena had ordered for her Dibison. Jaune knew that if he forgot that part, Leena would probably kill him, bury him, dig him up, clone him, kill all his clones, and then never speak to him again! Regardless if they were dating or not!

...Wow. Quite the profound imagination Jaune's got, eh folks? But then again, having seen what happens when you get on Glynda Goodwitch's bad side, you can see how he could possibly draw up such a ludicrous conclusion.

But now, he had everything he needed to build that new weapon for the Liger Zero that would work perfectly with his base armor. Plus he had some armor plates that were going to be used to build Liger Zero's first CAS unit. The metal was beautiful! It was made out of a lightweight material that was strong enough to withstand blasts from all sorts of weapons and deflect most bullets! It was also strong enough to tank the full power of an Iron Kong's punch without so much as denting!

The metal was able to be reforged at least two more times, so Jaune was really going to have to try and make due with what he's got. And right now, he's only got enough of the material to melt down for the shoulder armor. But he'll worry about that later.

Doctor Toros had already sent out the order for the new armors of the Liger's CAS system, so Jaune didn't have to worry about any sort of problems with remembering to order the parts. But in the meantime, he just wanted to get home and take a shower before having a quick nap.

"Liger Zero looks great in his base armor, but all that white makes it difficult to do much if I need stealth in a battle. Maybe I can have it repainted with a stealth coat for better camouflage?" Jaune said to himself. "But speaking of Zoids… I wonder how Sun's doing on Harry's team?"

You heard right. After the battle against the Champ Team, Sun found out that he really enjoys Zoid Battles. So he spoke with Harry and found himself as a permanent member of the Champ Team. Harry even agreed to help Sun customize the Iron Kong he used in the battle, having allowed the Monkey Faunus to keep the Iron Kong. So far, the only customizations made were a change in armor color and a bit of the arsenal being changed.

I don't know what weapons Sun has chosen yet, but I do know that these weapons are unusual for an Iron Kong.

Meanwhile, Jamie was busy polishing his Pteras. He loved that Zoid a lot, and always made sure it was in perfect working order. Even though Jamie was a Zoid Pilot, he really wasn't much of a warrior. He preferred to remain on the sidelines helping the team by making strategies.

Jamie was just finishing up with polishing his Pteras, then smiled at his Zoid.

"I love you, Pteras! You're the greatest Zoid a guy could ask for!" Jamie said whilst hugging the canopy of his Zoid.

And watching from the scaffolding near her Elephander, who was getting some maintenance done on his trunk's Machinegun, Yang was grinning up a storm and snickering at the airborne Zoid pilot's antics. If she was being perfectly honest with herself, she thought it was sweet that Jamie loves his Zoid so much, but she also felt like the boy was being a bit clingy.

The Elephander snorted as he spoke with his human partner, and Yang just grinned back at them.

"I know, right? If he loves the Pteras so much, why doesn't he just marry it?" Yang quipped.

And then her mind started to wander to a very unnatural fantasy of Jamie ACTUALLY going through with marrying his Pteras. She shivered in disgust at the mental images that began to flood her head. She blames Blake and her stupid smut books!

Meanwhile, back with team RWB(Y), Blake's 'someone's calling my books smut' senses were tingling. She shook her head as she thought about how some people just can't appreciate great literature.

Yang's mind was pulled out of the gutter while Jamie ceased his little love fest when they heard a truck's motor. Our two Blitz Team pilots looked down from where they was working, and saw Jaune park his truck in the hangar.

"Hey, Jaune. Did you get everything?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, it's all here. I had a hell of a time trying to remember to pick up that part Leena ordered." Jaune said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going for a shower."

As he walked out of the Hangar to take a shower, Jaune began to wonder just what else he could do for Liger Zero. He has an armor designed mostly for high speed offense and an armor that was primarily long range combat in nature. But he still feels as though there's more he could do for the Liger. If only he knew.

* * *

 _ ***Later That Day…***_

* * *

Yang and her Elephander were walking home after a successful test run of the upgrades done to the Zoid's Machinegun. Now it has more power behind it with much less of a kick than it used to have, which means that it'll put less strain on the Zoid when the time comes to fight again.

"Ya did good out there, Elephander! Now you're stronger than ever!" Yang praised.

Her Zoid trumpeted, clearly happy with the results of the upgrade. And Yang just smiled at her Zoid, happy to finally have a partner that she could actually rely on. Besides Jaune and the rest of the Blitz Team, of course. Suddenly, her Multi Sensor started beeping as it detected multiple Zoid energy signatures.

"Huh?!"

She and the Elephander stopped and began to look around for the enemy Zoids. But no matter where they looked, they couldn't find anything. Could it be possible that they're using Stealth Shields to hide amongst the sandy dunes of the desert? Or are they actually hidden so well that they blend in with the desert sand? Either way, Yang is getting a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, Elephander." she said to her Zoid.

And the Elephander agreed. Something about this area felt both foreboding and oddly… familiar to the Elephant Type Zoid. As though a half of itself was missing and it was about to be found.

Suddenly, Yang heard a growling sound. She and the Elephander looked to their left and saw a shadow that looked strikingly like a Zoid's shadow. But it was like no Zoid she's ever seen before. The Zoid was only visible as a black shadow, but she could make out the basic shape of the body. It seemed to be a giant metal Tyrannosaurus Rex with guns attached to it. A pair of glowing green eyes were the only visible things that indicated life from the shadow.

With a metallic saurian roar, the shadow turned around and vanished into the sandstorm that had kicked up upon its arrival. Yang was astounded by what she saw.

"What was that…?!" she asked herself.

Yang had no time to think on this as she and the Elephander were suddenly attacked from all sides by gunfire that seemed to come from no visible enemy. Thinking quickly, she activated her Elephander's Energy Shield to tank some of the blasts and began to search for the enemy. Unfortunately, the sandstorm was hiding them even better than Stealth Shielding alone and she couldn't see where they were coming from.

And that made this situation even worse! With the sandstorm concealing her enemies, the best she could do to try and stop them was to blanket them with constant fire!

"Elephander, we can't let them take us down so easily! Let's give them all we've got!" Yang said to her Zoid.

The Elephander trumpeted in agreement and readied all weapons as several more screens appeared within the cockpit. A bunch of targeters appeared on the screens and were somehow able to lock on to the enemy Zoids even in all of this sand and wind.

 **"Here we go, partner! BARRAGE OF THE MAMMOTH!"**

Yang pulled the trigger and all of the Elephander's weapons fired at once! Several explosions rang throughout the area and hit their targets with deadly accuracy. The Zoids all fell to the ground with their systems frozen, revealing them to be Helcats. But there was something different about them.

"Strange… Now why would Helcat Zoids have their heads painted to look like they're wearing Grimm masks?" Yang asked herself.

"Why indeed?" asked a man's voice.

Yang quickly looked to her side, but she was too late to do anything. A barrage of blasts rained down on her while the Elephander did the only thing it could do in this situation.

It used its trunk to shield the cockpit from the vast majority of the missiles headed for it. Yang screamed as she and her Elephander were quickly overwhelmed and engulfed in a giant explosion of fire and debris. Clearly, whoever did this shot at her with the intent to kill.

When most of the fire cleared, Yang stumbled out of the wreckage of what was once her Zoid. She was covered in bruises and soot and there was blood running down her right temple. She turned around and tears began to build up in her eyes as she took in the appearance of her Zoid.

It was utterly demolished! The armor was nothing more than shrapnel, the back mounted cannons were bent at awkward angles, the trunk was nearly blown off, the left tusk was shot in half and the core was now exposed to the elements! Yang swallowed the lump that formed in her throat as she undid her bandana from around her neck and walked up to her fallen Elephander.

She bowed her head as she felt herself getting dizzy due to her injuries. With as much care as she could muster in her current state, she draped her bandana over the console of the Zoid's main computer and salvaged her Zoid Gear, which had miraculously survived the explosion with no damage.

"Rest in peace… old friend…" Yang sobbed.

With all of her strength used up, she collapsed to the ground with her eyes closed and completely vulnerable to the enemy.

And walking up to her was a Gravity Bison Zoid with a stylized Grimm Mask painted over the head of the Zoid. All except the horns and eyes. The canopy of the Zoid opened as it snorted, revealing the pilot to be the leader of the White Fang, Adam Taurus. Adam looked at his downed target and smirked as he activated his communication system.

"Target has been subdued with minimal damage." he told his employer.

And while he may not like working for a human, he likes these people's way of doing things. Now, if only they'd allow more killing.

"Excellent! Have her brought to the base immediately, and we'll begin phase two!" said the figure of a man.

"And what of the wreckage of this Elephander?" Adam asked.

"Bring it with you. This way, they'll know for sure that we have the girl and we mean business." the man replied.

Adam stared at the man for a few seconds before he nodded.

"I'll have my men begin loading them up onto the Whale King, sir."

With that said, Adam hung up and faced one of the grunts.

"Well, what're you waiting for, an open invitation? Get these two onto the Whale King and let's get out of here!" barked Adam.

"Yes sir!" replied the grunt.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, At The Blitz Team Headquarters…***_

* * *

Jaune walked into the Blitz Team common room and released a relaxed sigh. That shower had really done the trick for him, and he was REALLY glad that Leena had saved him some hot water. He knows that Leena and Yang take the longest to shower, mostly due to Yang spending so much time taking care of her hair. Not that he blamed her.

After she began to make more and more progress in her recovery, Yang started taking much greater care of her hair again. Something Raven was glad about. In all honesty, the matriarch of the nomadic tribe had missed the shine and luster her daughter's hair had before… the incident. Yang took after Raven in that regard.

She had let him touch her hair without repercussion once, and to his astonishment it was as soft as a newborn kitten's fur! And it smelled like peaches and mangos! But I'm getting off topic here. As Jaune walked to the center of the room, he saw no sign of the blonde brawler.

"Hey guys, where's Yang?" Jaune asked. "I thought she'd be with you guys."

"Yang took the Elephander out for a walk earlier, but I don't think they've come back yet." Jamie explained.

That certainly concerned Jaune. True, he knows the Elephander isn't exactly the fastest Zoid in the world, but still, it shouldn't be taking them this long to get back. Then again, there was a sandstorm earlier so maybe they got caught in that and it slowed them down? Either way, Jaune didn't like this feeling of dread he was getting.

"I don't like this, guys… Something in my gut is telling me that there's something amiss here, and I intend to find out what!" Jaune declared.

He turned around to get into the Liger, but the Video Phone started beeping. Doctor Toros answered, and saw something unexpected. It was a man with strange looking sunglasses, and dark hair that was slicked back. He was sitting at a desk smiling with his fingers crossed under his chin.

In fact, it's the very same man that we saw at the crashed battle earlier that same day.

"Hello. I assume I have the attention of the Blitz Team?" The figure asked.

"You do. And who might you be?" Doc asked. "What reason have you for calling our humble team today?"

The figure gave a slight chuckle that set Jaune, Leena and Raven on edge for some reason or another. And for good reason, too.

"We are the Backdraft Group." The man said.

"The Backdraft Group?" asked a puzzled Jamie.

"First I've heard of them." Sarah said with a shrug.

"I heard about them during my travels as a Junk Dealer. Several of my clients spoke about them in a bad light. These guys are a hardcore group that's too into money and power to understand civil rights. These guys are cheaters who don't play by the rules." Jaune explained.

"They're also popular with unsanctioned battles, causing very many injuries and are even rumored to have caused a few deaths because their battles are so dangerous." Brad added.

The man on the screen hummed, still smiling for some reason.

"We take every precaution before attempting to do such, but accidents do happen. We find it more fun if danger is involved, both for those participating and for those watching. Makes a greater profit. How else can we do all the things we do? Our numbers and our powerful Zoids, and the research we do helps the world! Not just us." The man claimed.

But Jaune just narrowed his eyes even more from such a proclamation. He knew of the kind of research that the Backdraft Group did, and knew that it would never help the world! If anything, these guys are worse than the warmongering people of Atlas! And he just means certain people in Atlas, not the kingdom as a whole.

"Yeah, right! You guys have no right to call yourselves warriors! That so called 'research' you do is just digging into dark pasts that should remain buried! You do these unsanctioned battles without the other team's consent, and then rig them so you guys will win with no trouble on your part!" Jaune declared.

"Yeah! And if you think a few pretty words are gonna win us over, you're REALLY out of whack!" Raven added.

The man chuckled a bit more. This time it was a bit louder, and his shoulders shook as he did. And it caused Raven's over protective mother senses to start tingling something fierce! And she didn't like that!

"Well, you must be very well informed to know how we operate. But we do still have SOME sense of honor! We do make sure if our opponent is in danger, we are in the same situation." The man said.

Jaune just glared at him while his eyes turned from blue to red as he subconsciously activated Yang's Semblance. The proof being the yellow portion of the moon mark caused by the Soul Bond glowing a bright gold color. He knew from experience that there are certain people that you just can't trust. And this man is one such person that couldn't be trusted as far as he could throw him! The man cleared his throat.

"We would like to have a Zoid Battle with the Blitz Team. And before you answer outright, let me show you something..."

The screen shifted to show the wreckage of an Elephander that looked like a dead ringer for Yang's Elephander. Doctor Toros gasped as realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"If that's Yang's Elephander completely destroyed, and they have it... Then that means they also have..." Doc trailed off.

The man chuckled as he came back on the screen.

"You catch on fast, as I expect from a PhD holder and a highly intelligent expert on Zoids. Your teammate is here of course in our care. We will be keeping the dead Elephander for further study, but if we battle and you win, you can have miss Xiao Long back. If we win, we take all your Zoids." The man challenged.

Raven growled as she tried to keep her anger in check. If there was one thing she learned from her days as a huntress, it was that rushing in blindly wasn't going to solve anything. And her short temper has gotten her daughter in trouble on more than one occasion, even though this time she was ambushed. But that didn't mean she had to like it!

"Like I said before. Forcing your opponent into these situations..." Jaune growled.

Doctor Toros growled with Jaune and also wished he had a Semblance that was similar to Yang's in this situation. Even though he didn't want to battle these guys, there was really no choice here. Like it or not, he had no choice but to accept.

"Fine, we'll battle. But you better give her back when we win!" Doc demanded.

"We are people of our word, no matter what others may say. We will send you the coordinates and the time within an hour." The man said with a nod.

When the screen turned off, a loud roar was heard followed by a bang. The others looked to see that Jaune had punched a hole in the wall, nearly destroying it in the process. They could see the rage in Jaune's fiery red eyes as he pulled his fist out of the wall. It would seem that through the power of the Soul Bond, Jaune was able to tap into Yang's Semblance and use it as his own.

 **"THOSE MOTHER FUCKERS! HOW DARE THEY KIDNAP YANG LIKE THAT, AND THEN FORCE US INTO BATTLE BY USING HER AS A BARGAINING CHIP LIKE THAT?!"** Jaune yelled.

He began to stomp out the door in his rage with Leena following not far behind. But before he left, Jaune turned around to face the rest of the team. More specifically, Doctor Toros.

"Sorry about the wall, Doc. I'll fix it later." Jaune said.

But even though the blonde boy looked calm, the rest of the team could see the ice cold rage within his now ocean blue orbs. And with that color, it just made his murderous stare look extra cold and icy! Brad got up and went to follow them as did Raven and Sarah. One to see what the plan was, another to help get her daughter back and the last one to try and calm down her distraught child.

As Jaune and Leena made their way into the hangar, Jaune was inwardly growling at the audacity of the Backdraft Group. Kidnapping Yang and using her as a bargaining chip to force them into an illegal battle!

"Leena, I'm gonna need your help here!" Jaune said.

Jaune and Leena went to get the parts he got out of his truck, and Jaune picked up the plates of armor.

"Help me out with these. We're going to melt them down. I have an idea in mind, so bear with me, ok? Let's use the furnace in the back."

"You're gonna need more help than just Leena if you're going to get that done in time for the battle." Brad said as he walked in.

Jaune looked up to see that Raven and his mother had come along to help out, their tools at the ready as they looked at the armor plating that was before them. Clearly, they were impressed by how far ahead Jaune thought before buying these.

"I thought you wouldn't want to help, Brad. Seeing as how you're a mercenary and don't take a job if there's no money involved." Jaune said.

What he got from Brad was a blank look in response.

"I understand that I may have given you that impression when you first got here, but believe it or not I've changed! I'm no longer just a mercenary! I'm a member of the Blitz Team, and I'm not about to abandon one of my own!" Brad declared.

Jaune looked up to see the look in Brad's eyes. He's serious. Jaune smiled and tossed Brad a couple of tools.

"Well then, if you're going to help then get ready! We've got a lot of work to do and not enough time to do it!" Jaune said.

And with that, they got straight to work on melting down the armor plating. This was going to be an all nighter for sure, but it would be worth it to get Yang back and away from the evil clutches of the Backdraft Group!

* * *

 _ ***At The Battle Site…***_

* * *

Three days later at the designated time and coordinates, Jaune was now mobilizing the Liger Zero, but there was something different about it. The Zoid now sported two bulky looking pieces of shoulder armor that seemed to be angled at a way that they would deflect most projectiles while protecting against extra heavy shelling. However, they were also streamlined and had these small fins that were designed to reduce drag. The Hover Cargo had activated its catapult, and launched Jaune onto the battlefield. And after that, it opened up a launch pad at the front of the Hover Cargo to reveal Raven and the customized and inexplicably revitalized Rev Raptor in all it's glory.

"Launching Rev Raptor!"

The giant metal Velociraptor of a Zoid jumped from the station, hissing out it's arrival. Finally, the Hover Cargo brought up another launch pad that had Brad and his Command Wolf loaded up and ready to fight.

"Brad and the Command Wolf, prepared to launch!"

And launch they did. They landed to the left of the Liger Zero and the Wolf growled as it got into a fighting stance.

Suddenly, a huge shadow appeared in the sky. Jaune and the others looked up to see a huge, black carrier type Zoid known as a Whale King flying into the area. Jaune and Liger Zero growled while Raven scowled and the Rev Raptor hissed as they waited for their enemies to make their move. The Whale King suddenly shot something out of its underbelly. Black rods came down around the perimeter of the battlefield with Jaune, Raven and Brad inside of it, while the Whale King flew to a ridge nearby.

Jaune didn't know what those rods were for, but he knew that they must've had something to do with entrapment. The enemy Whale King set down, and something crashed into the ground. Rising up from the crater was something that looked similar to a Judge Capsule, only it was black and red in color. It opened up to reveal a Dark Judge. The only differences between this Judge and those of the ZBC were the fact that he was black, and his visor was spiked.

"This area is a designated Zoid battlefield. The Blitz Team vs. The Backdraft Group. Battle Mode... None! Ready...?"

While doctor Toros went on a bit of a rant due to the lack of a Battle Mode, Jaune was thinking about something. Things just didn't add up.

' _Why is the enemy team not here yet when the Judge is just a second away from starting the match? Unless... OH SHIT!'_

 **"GUYS, GET MOVING! THEY'RE INVISIBLE!'** Jaune yelled in warning.

"...FIGHT!"

Jaune twisted Liger Zero to the side, running as fast as he could to dodge the sudden bombardment of fire coming from invisible Hellcats. Brad grunted as he got caught in the fire while Raven and the Rev Raptor ran as quickly as possible to find cover.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" yelped Raven.

While he and his current teammates were running for their lives, Jaune turned to slide his Zoid in a better position.

"Move it, guys! Evasive maneuvers! Serpentine! Serpentine!" Jaune ordered.

"Yeah, someone already pointed that out to us, Jaune! His name was 'shit sherlock'. First name, 'no'." quipped Brad.

"Serpentine is far too predictable to these guys! If you can, try using squiggly squid!" Raven said.

Raven and Brad got their Zoids moving, and while neither of them are as fast as the Liger, they're still speedy enough to dodge the fire coming at them. Jaune looked around as the shelling continued, and noticed light flashing in the distance.

The Arc boy remembered that there were several strategies that once could use in a situation like this. Especially against notorious cheaters like the Backdraft or the White Fang. Unfortunately, he was having a bit of a difficult time exacting them due to being blanketed by constant fire.

Jaune saw three lights, meaning three enemies. One firing at him, one firing at the Wolf and one firing at the Raptor. He sped the Liger to the perimeter that the rods made, and fired his Shock Cannon a couple of times. The shots hit a field that appeared, electricity covering between two rods causing Jaune to turn the Liger on a dime, skimming the side of the perimeter as he got some distance.

He growled in anger as he saw this before seeing the man from before appear on his communicator system.

"Now you see the technology we use to ensure our opponent doesn't run away. It wouldn't be any fun if that happened." He said. "By the way, where's the Dibison? You hiding it somewhere?"

Jaune twisted the Liger, having his claws and skid along the ground to get a large angle turn and ran the other way, making the fire he was about to take miss him again.

"It's just us three. Unlike you guys, we actually play by the rules." Jaune replied.

The man chuckled lightly.

"Three on three then? Not as challenging as I thought, and a bit bland for my tastes, but then again it seems you are good enough to fight back and make things entertaining. Let's see you defeat at least one of my warriors." the man challenged.

Jaune grinned as he did the same thing again, turning on a dime and jumping forward again. But before the fire could catch him on the rebound, he turned directly at the flashes of light from the guns the invisible Hellcat had and fired six painful shots from his Shock Cannon. This heavy fire, in turn, turned the hellcat into a hunk of junk and on the ground.

"Careful what you wish for, 'cause you just might get it!" Jaune quipped.

The other two Hellcats who were firing at the Rev Raptor and the Command Wolf turned to try and take him out, but suddenly both got hit hard with the barrage of fire from the Wolf itself, having received a break from the bombardment to turn and fire. And the final Helcat literally got itself cut down to size by Raven and her Rev Raptor's twin scythe blades.

Raven and the Rev Raptor turned around to inspect their work and the Raptor hissed in satisfaction. Clean cut like a surgeon!

"Not as much damage as a sword would do, but still a very fine cut! Good work, Raptor!" Raven said, praising her Zoid.

Brad just smiled, snapping a finger as he too celebrated his small victory.

"Gotcha! Good thing I am quick on my feet." Brad said with a grin.

Jaune appeared on their screens, smirking at his teammates and their abilities in battle. Brad may have started off as a mercenary, but he was much like a wolf in some aspects. He'll never abandon his pack!

"Good job. How you do it? Following the feet?" Jaune asked.

Brad and Raven nodded in affirmative before explaining their methods.

"I put in a system to do so, and found all three. I gave Brad the coordinates to his enemy, and we just followed our guts from there. But I wonder, how did you find one without it?" Raven asked.

"My thoughts exactly." Brad added.

Jaune chuckled, loosening up a bit.

"I remembered that there are several ways to fight off invisible enemies. The Zoids themselves may be invisible, but not the flashes from their weapons. I just followed the sight of their gunfire." Jaune explained.

Jaune looked to see the Dark Judge still passive. The young Arc's looked hardened as he growled at the machine.

"Call it, Judge, because it was three on three, and we beat you." Jaune demanded.

The Dark Judge merely waved a hand, shaking it's head in response to the clearly angry demand.

"I never gave a limit on competitors, so your victory is not accepted. When you have defeated all enemies I will call it."

Jaune narrowed his eyes and looked around, but saw absolutely nothing… But then he noticed the way the faces of the Helcats were painted. They looked almost like they were wearing Grimm masks. Jaune's eyes narrowed. This is the calling card of only one organization.

' _Ah, shit! If the White Fang has sided with the Backdraft Group, then this means that these battles are going to be a LOT tougher than I thought they'd be!'_ Jaune thought to himself.

He looked at Raven and saw from the way her Rev Raptor was hissing and looking around nervously, she's figured out just how dire the situation has become as well.

That's when the Whale King shot something from the nose. It hit the ground, causing Jaune to back the Liger up as he got ready to run. The smoke cleared, and showed a big black ball in the middle of the battlefield. For a moment it did nothing. It just sat there motionless.

The ball suddenly gathered energy and rolled around and around before moving fast and rolling at Brad!

 **"BRAD! HURRY UP AND GET AWAY!"** yelled Jaune.

Brad gasped and tried to jump out of the path of that rolling steel ball of death, but failed to get away as it hit him and sent the Command Wolf flying away. The G-forces involved in that hit would break bones in a normal situation.

The Command Wolf hit the ground causing its system to freeze and knocked Brad unconscious. Jaune and Liger Zero ran away trying to get distance away from that thing.

"Shit, those cheaters! It's supposed to be a ZOID battle! The hell are they thinking bringing that in?" Jaune growled.

Jaune looked back to see the ball still rolling at him. And from the looks of it, it's not slowing down anytime soon!

* * *

 _ ***Aboard The Whale King…***_

* * *

"Ruby, are you sure you know where you're going?"

That's right, folks. Ruby is in the house and helping Yang!

The Backdraft Group and the White Fang were so busy preparing for the battle with the Blitz Team that they failed to notice Ruby sneaking herself and her Red Blade Liger onto the Whale King. Once the redhead was sure they were far enough away from the base, she quickly made her way to Yang's holding cell and knocked out the guards.

Upon opening the door, she was nearly punched in the face by Yang, who thought she was one of the sleezeballs who kidnapped her. Fortunately, it would seem as though she wasn't scared enough or angry enough to be blinded by her emotions. In fact, the blonde girl was so happy to see her sister again, she wrapped the younger girl up in a literal bone breaking hug and shed a few tears of happiness.

And for once, Ruby didn't mind the fact that her ribs were nearly crushed.

After taking a moment to calm down and hug it out, Ruby explained how she was there to bust her sister out of that jail cell. So they quickly put the guard's clothes on and began to walk towards the hangar. Of course, Ruby had to take the scenic route so she wouldn't arouse suspicion.

"Don't worry, Yang. We'll be at the hangar soon! And I've got the Elephander's body hooked up to a tow cable on my Blade Liger so we can keep these goons from getting their grubby hands on your Zoid's combat data and memory banks." Ruby replied.

Yang just nodded nervously as they made their way down another hallway… When suddenly, an alarm sounded throughout the area!

"Crap baskets! They've figured out I busted you out!" Ruby yelped.

"Then let's hurry!" Yang urged.

And so, the two girls started running towards the hangar to escape from this place. But it would be easier said than done, because in her haste to free her sister, Ruby completely forgot to bring Crescent Rose with her!

* * *

 _ ***Back At The Battle…***_

* * *

 **"WATCH OUT!"** screamed Jaune.

He and the Liger Zero jumped out of the way of yet another strike from the rolling metal ball of death, barely avoiding this strike. With Brad out of commission, it would be much more difficult to defeat the Backdraft Group and get Yang back. Raven and her Rev Raptor are having a slightly easier time dodging, but even Jaune knows that they can't keep this up forever.

Jaune and the Liger had only one option left here. Keep running, and pray that they make it out of this alive!

He looked around the perimeter and saw rod after rod. But suddenly, just as all hope seemed lost to him... he found his salvation! He spotted a cliff, a place the rods did not cover on the ground, but on the top of the cliff. He sped Liger Zero to it and turned around looking at the ball as it was directly in front of him and the cliff directly behind him.

The ball rushed fast, picking up speed as it tried to crush him. The rolling black death trap hit the rocks hard, impacting the cliff and making a big smoke screen. At the side was Jaune and the Liger Zero, looking at it as the Zoid's legs were spread out like hell.

Jaune sighed heavily, but kept his tension looking around and keeping an eye out for any hidden enemies. It almost felt like he was fighting in the war between the Zenebas Empire and the Helic Republic. Yeah, that's right. He's been doing his research since he arrived on this continent.

"I dodged it, but they might have more units out there so I can't let down my guard." Jaune said to himself. "Raven, are you alright?"

Raven popped up on his screen, sweating a bit from having to dodge the giant bullet boulder of doom.

"Well, I have had better days, but Raptor and I will live." Raven replied.

Jaune sighed, relieved that his teammate was fine.

"Good to know, but we can't afford to let our guard down. These guys might have another dirty trick up their sleeves! Come on, where are you…?"

The man came back on Jaune's screen.

"You are very skilled. Not only to find our units, but to dodge that? You must have great reflexes and a very agile Zoid."

Jaune grinned at him.

"Just lucky, I guess. Come on and show yourself, because I would rather see the shithead cheater I am going to take down." Jaune demanded.

The man chuckled evilly as he got close to the screen.

"Sorry, but not gonna happen. The Backdraft group ALWAYS wins. Say goodbye to your Zoids!"

Jaune was suddenly shelled heavily, mostly in the side, and he grunted from the forces against him. Fortunately, the shoulder armor did its job and repelled many of the blasts. He quickly snapped out of it, not caring about anything outside his cockpit as he got the Liger moving away from the fire. And just for a little extra speed, he also activated his Ion Boosters to reach maximum speed capacity.

He looked around but he saw absolutely nothing YET AGAIN! Nothing! Zilch! Nada! He sighed, growling as he calmed himself and tried to observe. He saw that the shelling was scattered in timing, so watching everywhere was going to be difficult with breaks in the firing. But it seems as though he got lucky and saw the missile fire.

"Gotcha!" Jaune said as he turned Liger Zero around.

The man in the invisible Saber Tiger growled, knowing what he was seeing as he saw it earlier. This means he was getting ready for a shot. He moved his Saber around, firing as he moved along with the Liger.

"You ain't taking me down so easily! Come on, give me all you got!"

Jaune scoffed at this notion.

"Figures he's a quick learner! Come on! Let's take him Liger! Let's see how we both drive together."

Liger Zero roared as it added more power to its Ion Boosters and zoomed forward at greater speed.

The Saber stopped as the Liger crossed it's path VERY closely. The man grunted.

"Damn, he picked up his game. Guess I have to do the same. COME ON!"

He turned at one hundred eighty degrees and kept firing, this time a continuous blast by both his guns, and seeing the Fury anchor itself to the ground. But he grunted as he was suddenly shelled by missile fire. He looked to a cropping of rocks to see that the Rev Raptor had fired missiles from its customized leg armor. Armor that normally belonged on a Gun Sniper.

"Well, that just made things a little more difficult!" the man said to himself.

* * *

 _ ***Back With Yang And Ruby…***_

* * *

"Sir! We still can't find them!" said a White Fang member.

"Well, keep looking! If we lose our bargaining chip with the Blitz Team, Adam's gonna have our heads on a pike! Literally!" said another Grunt.

"Check the Zoid hangar, they might be going after that pile of scrap that was once an Elephander!" suggested another White Fang.

The leader amongst these grunts growled a bit and said "Good idea!" and they ran off for the hangar, unaware that their targets are already very far ahead of them.

"Here we are, Yang! Hurry, we've gotta get out of here!" Ruby exclaimed.

But Yang was frozen in place. She was staring up at something and Ruby actually shuddered as she saw what it was.

The Zoid was a giant armored Tyrannosaurus! It has the same brown and orange coloring as the Elephander, but it has red stabilizer knobs as opposed to the normal whitish lavender. The armor is brown while the parts of the Zoid that would normally be purple or red are instead orange as are the weapons being tinted a lighter shade of orange. The eye lenses of the Zoid are actually green like the Elephander's once was, and it possesses a variety of powerful weapons. On the top of its head from the nose forward it has a special Laser Gun, while on the back it has two Long Range Pulse Laser Rifles. In addition to these weapons, the Zoid possesses sharp teeth and claws that look like they can slice through anything, as well as a footlock on the back of each foot.

"Ruby, are you seeing this?!" Yang asked.

"A *Geno Saurus*…!" Ruby gasped in awe. "I didn't know they still existed! I've heard my share of rumors, but I never thought I'd ever see one in real life! However, the question remains... what's it doing here?"

The Geno Saurus looked down at the two girls, putting Ruby on edge. But Yang just stared up in shock at the Zoid. Behind the Geno Saurus, she was able to make out the transparent shadow of a very familiar Zoid.

Her Elephander!

The Elephander's ghost stepped towards her and wiped the tears that had gathered in her eyes away. As it began to fade, it said something that both girls were able to understand. And they heard that its voice was masculine, showing that he's a male.

 _"Yang… I will always be with you! Enjoy fighting alongside me in my true, whole form!"_

And with that, the Elephander's soul and body turned into particles of light that were absorbed into the Geno Saurus. The Zoid's eyes lit up as he reared his head back and roared so loud, the whole Whale King shook from the sheer force of the volume. And rather than being intimidated by this Zoid, Yang just smiled and narrowed her eyes in determination. For she knows this Zoid is her partner.

"Looks like we've got an even greater chance of getting out of here, Rubes! Get to your Liger, and let's get the hell out of here!" Yang said.

Ruby smiled, happy that her sister called her by her old nickname. She might just be able to win her big sister's trust yet! So the petite redhead nodded and ran to her Blade Liger. Yang looked up at her Zoid and smiled as her bandana fell from the Zoid's cockpit, located in the chest area of the Zoid.

"Well Geno Saurus… Let's bring some hell!" Yang said, tying her bandana around her arm.

The Geno Saurus roared in agreement and lowered itself to Yang could get into the cockpit.

* * *

 _ ***Back At The Battle… Again…***_

* * *

The sound of a gun firing and an explosion as metal hit metal rang through the area. Raven grunted as her Rev Raptor fell to the ground with its computer system frozen.

"I'm hit! It's up to you now, Jaune!" Raven said.

"Don't worry, Raven! I'll win this battle for us and save Yang! Let's go, Liger!"

Liger Zero roared and put the pedal to the metal as it continued to avoid the near constant gunfire being rained down on the battlefield. As it ran around the field avoiding enemy attacks, the man with the funny glasses began to get riled up.

"Why you little-! STAY STILL!" he growled.

"And let you blast me and Liger Zero to kingdom come? Yeah, I don't think so!" quipped Jaune.

Jaune had Liger Zero anchor itself to the ground with its claws and slide along, turning all the way around and zooming off in the other direction with incredible agility and high speed, and doing it again as the shelling tried to keep up. And he kept on repeating this process.

Jaune was making sure the Liger was a hard to hit target, ducking, jumping, sliding, he was using all his skill to make sure he wasn't hit.

"Cheaters will never win against true skill! COME ON! Let's see you hit me now, you bastard! HIT ME!" Jaune taunted.

Jaune was watching the shots coming from the guns of his enemy, knowing that the Saber was trying to match his moves. This was a good strategy, but if you do not know the moves, you cannot keep up. Especially since Jaune kept his eyes out and knew how to be unpredictable, never continuing the same maneuvers the same way.

The Saber hit the ground, falling on it's side as the legs gave out for a second. The Saber was Agile, but with heavy equipment all over it, it was hard to turn so fast so many times. The man got his Saber up fast, making sure not to stay in the same spot for long as he knew that his enemy was a very smart warrior, very skilled, and knew his way around the battlefield.

Jaune turned the Liger forward, zooming up as he followed the flashing lights as he kept ahead of whatever direction it was going.

"You are so gone! This is what you get for being a bunch of cheaters **WHO DO NOT HAVE HONOR! GO BACK TO THE RATHOLE YOU CAME FROM, AND GIVE ME MY SOULMATE BACK!"** Jaune roared.

Liger Zero jumped up, and with the Ion boosters he struck fast, Liger's front legs glowing with intense amounts of energy; Likely being amplified due to Jaune's righteous fury and love for Yang along with his aura.

 **"STRIKE LASER CLAW!"**

With gravity aiding him in his final attack, he slashed off the left limbs of the Saber, turning to face the downed Zoid and shutting the Boosters off.

"And that's how you do things Remnant style!" Jaune declared.

"NOOOO! NO, NO, NO! AAAARG!"

The Dark judge was having a slight tantrum, having never seen this coming, even with it's greatest probability computer. He sighed heavily, fake spitting as he raised a hand.

"The winner... is the Blitz team... Ehhhh..." he cleared his throat as he turned around. "Until we meet again, and next time, be prepared to lose. Goodbye!"

The Judge blasted off and back into space. Jaune sighed, relaxing now that the battle was over with. He looked over at the Whale king, and see it start to take off. He growled as he began to let his anger overtake him. And his eyes turned from blue to red once again.

 **"I KNEW THEY WOULDN'T KEEP THEIR WORD!"** roared Jaune.

He activated his Ion boosters and tried to close in on the massive carrier. But even with the Liger's speeds it was near impossible.

"Hang on, Yang, I'm coming!"

But it seems as though she didn't need his help. There were several explosions from the Whale King, and Jaune blinked as he saw a Geno Saurus and a Red Blade Liger leaping down from the now smoking transport Zoid. And Jaune recognized the colors of this Geno Saurus and this particular Blade Liger anywhere.

"No way..." Jaune gasped in disbelief.

Yang came on the communications.

"Yoohoo! Thanks Doc, I appreciate the help you gave me. But thanks to my adorable baby sister here, I got out just fine." Yang said.

Ruby appeared on the screens, blushing in embarrassment and hiding her face beneath her hood.

"YAAAAANNNG! NOT IN FRONT OF YOUR TEAM! You're embarrassing me!" Ruby whined.

Although, beneath that embarrassed blush, Ruby was smiling very brightly. It would seem as though the bond she has with her big sister was well on its way to being how it once was. And that's not counting the points she may have scored with Jaune.

Speaking of whom… Jaune sighed, and waited as the Blade Liger and the Geno Saurus slid down the cliffs. The Whale King picked up the Saber and its Hellcats before flying off. Jaune helped get the Rev Raptor and the Command Wolf back in the Hover Cargo, and set his Zoid in.

The Cargo was driving back to base as Ruby and Yang walked over to Jaune. The Arc boy smiled, turning to see both girls smiling at him.

"Hey." he greeted.

Ruby smiled shyly and waved back in response while Yang did something a little more bold. She walked up to him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and smashed her lips against his in a fierce yet loving kiss. One that left Jaune wide eyed and blushing badly. Once they pulled apart, Yang hugged him and nuzzled her head against his chest.

"I have the most loving soulmate in the world!" Yang said with a goofy smile.

Jaune was a little hesitant at first, but he soon hugged her back and smiled himself. He then put his hand on Ruby's head and ruffled her hair.

"Thank you… for saving Yang from those madmen." Jaune said.

Ruby smiled and nodded. She knows she might not have their full trust yet, but she does know that she's well on her way to having it back completely.

"So," Yang said, breaking the hug. "Where can I put my partner over here?"

Needless to say, Doctor Toros was incredibly happy to have a Geno Saurus as one of the team's Zoids and was more than happy to help load it up into the Hover Cargo while Yang told them the story of how she got the Zoid.

* * *

 _ ***To Be Continued…***_

* * *

 _ **Ending Narration (Jaune): "It seems like Beacon is really desperate to try and get me back, because now they've sent my former team, plus MERCURY, to try and take me back! And to make matters worse, they've somehow managed to hire a powerful mercenary by the name of Jack Sisco! But it's not going to end well for them anyway, because with the combined might of me and Liger Zero, Yang and her Geno Saurus, Brad and his Command Wolf, Leena and her Dibison and Raven and the Rev Raptor, we'll win this battle for sure!"**_

 _ **"...Wait a minute! I don't remember anything about Ozpin HIMSELF coming to try and take me back too! And he pilots a GOJULAS of all Zoids?! ...Well then, I guess it's time to bust out a set of Liger Zero's new transformation parts! Next time on RWBY New Century Zero: Rewrite; High Speed Battle! - Transforming Into Liger Zero Destructor! Ozpin better watch his back, because that Gojulas won't save him from all of my UNYIELDING RAGE! That and the fact that Jamie will be providing aerial support. Ready, fight!"**_

* * *

 _ ***The Geno Saurer is also sometimes referred to as the Geno Saurus, as shown in Zoids New Century Episode 25: Survival - The Mystery Of The Ultimate X.***_

* * *

 _ **Current Poll Results:**_

 _ **Geno Saurer (Custom Color): 7 votes**_

 _ **Saber Tiger: 7 votes**_

 _ **Death Stinger: 7 votes**_

 _ **Berserk Fury: 7 votes**_

 _ **Liger Zero (Empire Variant): 6 votes**_

 _ **Rev Raptor: 3 votes**_

 _ **Red Horn (Custom Weapons) 2 votes**_

 _ **Guysak: 2 votes**_

 _ **Remember to keep on voting, because this is going to be a close vote! I can tell!**_


	7. Chapter 6

**"Organized under strict rules and regulations Zoid Battles are fighting competitions held on enormous battlefields using mechanical combat units known as Zoids."**

 **"The enthusiast young warriors put their pride on the line and sharpen their skills against one another."**

 **"Battle Mode approved."**

 **"Area scanned…"**

 **"Battlefield set up."**

 **"Ready… FIGHT!"**

* * *

 _ **High Speed Battle! - Transforming Into Liger Zero Destructor!**_

* * *

The ending gong sounded on a Zoid Battlefield signalling that one of the teams has won. The defeated team was a group of pilots who manned three Heldigunners into battle. All three Zoids were sparking and smoking from all of the damage they took at the hands of but one Zoid. But we'll get to that in just a moment.

"The winner is… the Redfire Team!"

But the winning team of Zoids didn't look much like winners. Two of the Zoids, both Red Horns, were down for the count and were severely damaged with missing armor in various places and electricity sparking in various damaged areas. The only Zoid standing tall and proud was a Cheetah Type Zoid with black and red armor known as a Lightning Saix.

One of the Red Horn pilots groaned in both anger and disappointment as his damaged Zoid Gear fell to the ground. While he was lamenting the damage done to both his pride and his Zoid, another man walked up to the two Pilots. This guy is clearly the one who owns the Lightning Saix.

"Now, let's have that reward I was promised. Seeing as I won the battle for ya." the Lightning Saix pilot said.

But the one of the Red Horn pilots, a man with light brown hair, turned around looking angrier than he's ever been in his life.

"You're asking the wrong guy! You demolish my Red Horn and now you have the nerve to talk about rewards?!" he demanded in anger.

But the pilot of the Lightning Saix didn't seem fazed by the outburst. He remained calm, cool and collected. He's most likely had to deal with people like this before, and has experience in dealing with their whining and complaining.

"I demolished? You're the one who let it happen." he quipped.

"WHAT'D YOU SAY?!" shouted the first Red Horn pilot.

"Chill." said his partner, a man with black hair.

He wasn't any happier about the situation than his partner was, but he wasn't going to let his anger cloud his judgment. And just for the sake of not using so many titles here, let's just call the black haired man George and his partner Sherlock.

Anyways, George tossed a bag of money to the Lightning Saix pilot, which landed at his feet. The fact that he requested a reward means that he must be a mercenary pilot of some kind.

"Here's your reward." George said.

"Thanks." said the mercenary.

He picked up the bag of greenbacks and slung it over his shoulder just as George began to speak again.

"We'll need to hire you for our next battle too, so I'll be in touch."

"There'll be no next time for you." said the mercenary.

"Hey, wait a minute! If we don't win any points now, we'll be bumped down a class! There's no way we'll win with our damaged Zoids!" George said, pleading his case.

But this didn't seem to work on the mercenary. He seems dead set on not helping the Redfire Team again.

"What a shame." he said indifferently.

"What kind of deal is this where you win us ONE BATTLE then abandon us like trash?! HEY?!" demanded the ever angry Sherlock.

This time, the merc stopped walking and turned to face the angry pilot. And when he spoke, his tone showed that he had no patience for any of their antics.

"I'm walking because you competed with me instead of letting me do what I'm paid for!"

* * *

 _ ***Blitz Team Base…***_

* * *

Watching from the hangar, Jaune and Raven looked on as Yang got accustomed to her partner's new body. The cockpit controls were much different from those of an Elephander, so she was going for a run with her Geno Saurus in order to get used to them. She and the Geno Saurus were currently speeding along through a natural obstacle course with the Tyrannosaurus Zoid's boosters activated and propelling them along the sandy ground.

"Let's do this, partner!" Yang exclaimed.

The Geno Saurus roared and activated the side thrusters in his legs that allowed him to maneuver even better than normal while hovering off the ground. This allowed him and Yang to easily swerve between rocks and any other obstacles that got in their way. And just because he wanted to show off, the Geno Saurus primed his left claws, the bladed metal gleaming in the afternoon light.

And as they sped past a large boulder, his claws sliced through the stone like a hot knife through butter!

Yang was thoroughly impressed by what happened.

"Whoa, that was awesome! You are truly amazing, partner!" Yang exclaimed in happiness.

The Geno Saurus roared in happiness at the praise of his partner and the fact that he was whole once again. However, there was one weapon he possessed that was just too dangerous to test so close to the base.

The signature weapon of almost all Tyrannosaurus Type Zoids: the Charged Particle Cannon! A weapon that could very well wipe out all life on the planet if it ever fell into the wrong hands!

Elsewhere in Remnant, a certain woman with the ability to control the Grimm sneezed. Then she proceeded to flip out as she accidentally got her own snot all over her recently revised plans for world conquest.

Back at the Blitz Team Base, Raven smiled as she watched the bond between her child and the Geno Saurus become even stronger than it was before. Even if it took having to be kidnapped by those scum known as the Backdraft Group for it to happen, but that's besides the point. The point is that Raven knows that having taken her daughter away from their old home continent was the right choice after all.

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?" Jaune inquired. "The bond that a Zoid pilot can share with their Zoid once that Zoid's soul has been awakened."

Raven turned to look at Jaune. Quite honestly, she didn't understand what Jaune meant by that, even if Sarah spoke of things like this all the time.

"What do you mean by that?" Raven asked.

"Well, you see, all Zoids are connected to a long lost artifact known as Zoid Eve. Zoid Eve is what gives all Zoids life and is what created them in the first place alongside the ancient Zoidians that inhabited all continents on the planet. Heck, there are even some Zoidians who became Huntsmen and Huntresses back on Remnant with the aid of their own Zoids! So you see, all Zoids have souls of their own. They're not just giant machines. Even mass produced Zoids have souls, but it's very difficult for them to awaken their souls. But when it happens, you've got a great partner by your side! Like me and Liger Zero or Yang and her Geno Saurus." Jaune explained.

"Well, I can agree with you there." Raven said.

She looked up at her customized Rev Raptor, already knowing who her partner is.

"I can't imagine a life without Rev Raptor anymore." Raven said honestly.

And the Rev Raptor hissed in happiness at his pilot's words. Qrow really missed out on having such a wonderful Zoid like this. If he only took the time to actually get to know the Rev Raptor, perhaps he would have had a perfect partner of his own. But then again, with his way of thinking when it comes to Zoids that was highly unlikely.

"Speaking of which, how does Liger Zero like his new paint job?" Raven asked.

And she was right to ask about it. Jaune had since took Liger Zero to a special shop where they were able to give any Zoid a customized look all its own. Now the Liger Zero was a gold and red color scheme with several black accents in the Zoid. Even the eyes of the canopy got a color change to be more of an emerald green.

"It's a change from his original armor, but I can just feel that this is the right color for Liger Zero. I saw it in a dream and just thought that THIS is the perfect look for Liger Zero!" Jaune replied.

Suddenly, the monitor to the equipment room beeped as Sarah appeared on the screen.

"Jaune, sweetie, Doc and I need you over here right away." she said.

"Why? What's going on, mom?" Jaune asked.

"We've got a little surprise for you and the Liger Zero!" Sarah replied.

Knowing that it might be bad for his health to keep his mother waiting, Jaune made his way over to the room where the larger Zoid parts are usually brought in. What he saw far exceeded his expectations.

"Whoa! What is all this?!" gasped Jaune.

Inside were three giant crates that easily dwarfed any of Atlas's creations. Their mech suits certainly have nothing on this! The bottom crate was purple, the middle crate was a desert yellow color, and the top crate was black with red streaks. But that was the confusing thing for Jaune.

"I don't recall designing three armors. Where'd the third one come from?"

* * *

 _ ***Elsewhere…***_

* * *

Out in a town near the edge of a desert, we find ourselves at a local bar and restaurant where Zoid Warriors of all types come to drink, eat, socialize and relax. And sitting alone at a table with several poker cards in his hand is that same warrior who refused to help the Redfire Team again.

Now that we get a good look at him, we can see what he actually looks like. He was wearing a yellow and grey shirt, and grey pants. He also had a light blue checked headband with two strange appendages that slightly resembled toilet brushes hanging from the back of his head. The headband made his eyes look like thin slits like those of a snake, and spiky purple hair stuck out from the top of his head.

"Jack Sisco."

The now named Jack looked up to see a Zoid Pilot standing next to him just a few feet away.

"I need your help on a job." he said.

"It'll cost you." said Jack.

"How about fifty thousand?" the warrior offered.

But Jack wasn't about to budge for THAT measly pay day.

"Take a hike! I don't work for people unless they have money." Jack said.

The pilot walked away, sighing in disappointment. His next battle was going to be a lot harder without a pilot like Jack Sisco helping his team. So, another pilot got up and decided to try his luck.

"I'll pay. Whatever your price! I need you on my team!" he said.

Seeing that he was being offered a blank check of sorts, Jack at least knows this guy is willing to pay. But there's one more test. He shuffled his hand of cards into the deck, then drew a new hand and placed the cards face down on the table.

"Pick a card, then try and guess what suit it is." Jack said.

"Uh… Clubs." the pilot guessed.

He flipped over his card to reveal it to be a Three of Diamonds. Jack was most certainly not impressed.

"Beat it! If you don't have luck, I don't want to know you." Jack said indifferently.

The pilot gave an exasperated sigh and walked away, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts and cards. He scoffed at the lack of good business and took a drink of the glass of ice water he ordered. But that's when four new warriors walked up to him. Warriors that I know are not good news.

"You must be Jack Sisco." said a female voice.

Jack set down his drink and took a look at who exactly was trying to hire him this time. It was a redhead girl who looked like she was behind a few centuries, being dressed like a spartan and all. Then there's a ginger haired girl wearing pink who looks far too hyper for her own good. Then there's a pink eyed boy with a magenta strand in his hair. He wears green and is dressed like one of those xiaolin monks. Finally, there's a lazy looking boy with gray hair.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves. I'm Pyrrha Nikos, this is Nora Valkyrie, the pink eyed boy is Lei Ren. Just call him Ren. And the boy with gray hair is Mercury Black." said the redhead girl.

"So?" Jack inquired.

"Look, dude. We need you for a job so here's the deal."

Mercury took out a briefcase and set it down on the table. He unclipped the locks on the case and opened it up to reveal the wads of bills stuffed inside of it.

"Inside this case is an even three million, and it's all yours if you'll join us for our next Zoid Battle." Mercury informed.

That actually caught Jack's attention. Unlike the warriors that tried to hire him before, this group seemed to be quite competent despite their lack of a well-known reputation. And the fact that they're offering a very nice paycheck is a plus in his book.

"Well, it looks like you have enough money. Pick a card then guess the suit." Jack instructed.

The team let Ren handle this part. He was the best at these sort of games of chance, so he was their best option to get past the luck portion of the test. Ren closed his eyes and hovered his hand over the different cards. He kept this up for about fifteen seconds or so before stopping on one card.

"This card is… the King of Hearts." Ren said.

He flipped over the card and revealed the card to be exactly what he predicted. Jack whistled at this turn of events. Looks like he's found himself some work.

"So, what kind of Zoids do you have?" Jack asked.

"Oh, we have everything, Jackie! Can I call you Jackie?" Nora said, continuing before Jack could respond. "Our headmaster has made it our mission to take down a certain team, so we have every Zoid! From a Gojulas to Cannon Tortoises!"

Jack whistled in amazement once again. And while he doesn't like being called by that ridiculous nickname, he's got the feeling that this Nora kid won't let it go. So, he was just gonna roll with it for now.

"So, do we have a deal?" Pyrrha asked.

Jack stood up from his chair, used some of the money to pay for his drinks, closed and locked the case and picked it up before placing an arm on Pyrrha's shoulder as the team walked out of the restaurant.

"Sure. I'll help you kids out." Jack said in agreement.

"Hey look, Jack's joining that rookie team!" said a random warrior.

This started a string of negative comments from the warriors in the bar who were looking to hire Jack for Zoid Battles. Comments ranging from "What?!", "No way!" and "What do THEY got that WE don't got?!". But they payed these jealous warriors no mind.

"So, who're we up against?" Jack asked.

"We'll tell you on the way to our base. Our manager still needs to finalize some things before the battle can take place, but I'm certain that there will be no problems." Ren explained.

Jack didn't quite like the fact that these guys were holding out on him in terms of job information, but he's a patient man and will wait for them to tell him the full details. And that means he can count the rest of his money on the way to make sure it was all there before he spent some of it. If there's one thing Jack doesn't like, it's being short changed.

* * *

 _ ***Back With The Blitz Team…***_

* * *

"Oh my Oum! This is amazing! You even the Long Range Gun of a Heldigunner into this armor!" Jaune exclaimed, excitement clear in his voice.

Currently, he was standing on a lift that was allowing him to look inside the crates to see the new parts for Liger Zero. And while he was confused as to why the parts seemed like they were just repainted versions of the three conversion units Doctor Toros was going to order, he could instantly tell that there were key differences. For one thing, this purple armor looked much more deadly and seemed to have some extra abilities to it.

"I knew you'd be impressed!" Sarah said.

The lift rose higher until it reached the middle crate. The desert yellow one. Jaune peered inside and was quite impressed. It certainly was a step up from the standard Panzer Armor that Doctor Toros had initially shown him.

"Wow! Look at these beauties!"

Sarah laughed at her son's enthusiasm. Yet another thing he inherited from his father. And that's something she's glad her son inherited.

"We're glad you like them!" Sarah said with a big grin.

The lift rose up allowing Jaune to look into the third and final container. The black and red one. But what he saw was kind of strange to him. It looks like a repainted version of the Jaeger Armor, but it was so much different in a few ways. For one, instead of just the standard cheek mounted Vulcan Guns, it also has a pair of Buster Claws integrated into the armor. The claws also housed a pair of Laser Cannons for additional long range support. And the Ion Boosters on the back are about the normal size of Liger Zero's old boosters, but they looked very powerful.

"So what's the deal with this armor? It looks kind of strange." Jaune inquired.

"Hey, don't look at me! Sarah was the one who customized that armor!" Doc said defensively.

"I'm just curious, won't the design of these weapons hinder the speed of the Zoid by creating far more drag and weighing the Liger down more?" Jaune asked. "I mean, these weapons were designed specifically for a bipedal Zoid, so how will they work?"

Sarah closed her eyes and nodded at his son's questions. They were perfectly valid and she was glad that he wasn't rushing in blindly with these parts. And the fact that he's been studying his Zoids for a long time was also a plus in her book.

"I thought of that. See, when customizing and redesigning those three armors that Doc showed you before, I had the weapon's builders make the parts sleeker and more aerodynamic and lightweight to make the Zoid faster and reduce the drag they would have initially caused. Also, I redid the design of the mount to allow them to work with the Liger Zero's body type." Sarah explained. "I'm not an expert on Zoids for nothing, ya know!"

Once the lift to the crates lowered to the ground, Jaune walked up to his mom and hugged her.

"You're right, mom. I'm sorry. And I really do appreciate the time and effort you put into these parts." Jaune said, easing his mother's mind.

"So, you really like them, then?" Doctor Toros asked.

"Yeah! I love them!" Jaune replied. "But how much are these parts gonna cost me?"

Doctor Toros took out a clipboard and began to skim over some important documents. In all honesty, he was surprised by the outcome of the purchase as he was sure that the parts would cost far more than they did.

"Well, considering those people knew you, they gave us a nice discount for the parts and their customizations when Sarah mentioned that she was your mother and gave them proof that you're part of our team. So the total is a lot less than it would've been without it. So, I'd say you'll have it all payed off after about fifty wins. Does that sound fair?" Doc explained/asked.

Jaune took the clipboard and began to think. Fifty wins? That's if they keep winning like they are. And by the time he's payed off the parts, they'll be well on their way to the S-Class competition.

But his eyes narrowed in determination as he looked at the containment units for the parts. He has the utmost confidence that his team will win against everyone that comes their way and make it to the S-Class competition! So, he made his decision.

"Yeah, that sounds perfectly reasonable. Thanks a bunch for this, guys!" Jaune replied, signing for the parts.

"Excellent! Now, the money for the parts will automatically be taken out of your pay from the prize money you earn from battles in small increments just like how you're paying for the Liger Zero. So you won't need to worry about forgetting to make a payment for something, as this is a lot of stuff to remember." Doc explained.

"You got it, boss man!" Jaune quipped.

"We should probably test the parts to see if they work." Jamie said, walking into the room.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"I mean, we should just make sure that everything's ready before we go into battle with them, right?" Jamie said uncertainly.

Doctor Toros hummed in thought and began to walk away while Sarah just sighed at that suggestion. She had honestly hoped that Jamie wouldn't ask something like that right now.

"Well, truth be told, they aren't actually up and running just yet." Doc said.

"They're not?" Jaune asked. "Well, how long will it take to get them working then?"

"Well, the parts themselves are finished. It's just that we haven't figured out a quick and efficient way to attach the parts to the Liger Zero. Especially if we need to do so quickly while in the midst of battle." Sarah explained.

"Then why don't we just test the parts one at a time to make sure they work?" Jamie suggested.

But Doctor Toros immediately shut him down.

"NO WAY! They need to be interchangeable and work as a single unit! The original armors and their flaws were corrected, so we can't risk throwing off that balance by mixing and matching parts! Besides, they won't look cool if we do that!" Doc said.

And with that, Doctor Toros walked out of the room to try and come up with an easier way to attach the new parts and weapons to the Liger Zero. He needed to work fast though. After all, who knows when their next Zoid Battle will be?

Jamie, Sarah and Jaune sighed at the behavior of the Blitz Team's manager. He was honestly more like a child than he should be. But he does raise many good points about the balance of the armors.

"Jaune, you agree with me, right? We should test the parts before we use them?" Jamie asked.

Jaune hummed in thought and looked up at the parts for Liger Zero. He smiled as he reached a conclusion.

"Nah, I agree with Doc on this one. These guys know better than to half ass anything they sell to me, so I know the parts work fine. Although, we should at least calibrate one of the armors just to make sure everything works okay." Jaune said. "Hey Jamie, you want to help?"

The young Pteras pilot's eyes practically turned into stars as he grinned like a maniac when he was asked that question, and nodded rapidly in response.

"You bet! I may not be much of a warrior, but when it comes to Zoid parts I'm your guy!" Jamie replied.

"Great! With your help, we'll have this done by midnight if we don't rush things!" Jaune said.

"How about dinner, if you don't mind skipping?" Leena asked as she walked in.

Jaune began to grin even harder as he nodded at Leena. After Sarah excused herself to help Doctor Toros with designing a system to change the Liger's armors quickly and efficiently, the three Zoid warriors began to work on the yellow armor. Calibrating something like this was not going to be easy by any means.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, With (J)NPR…***_

* * *

Professor Ozpin was walking down the hall of the base he and his students were currently stationed at. He knew that he had to get Jaune back to Remnant for his plan to defeat Salem once and for all. But at the same time, he knows that it might not be easy. After all, Jaune and Yang both seem to be highly skilled at these Zoid Battles. But so are he and his students!

"Professor, you've gotta stop that mercenary!" Pyrrha pleaded.

"Yeah! He's completely out of control!" Nora added.

Ozpin did listen to his students, but he needed to confirm these claims of insanity for himself. And as he walked into the Zoid Bay where his team stores the majority of their Zoids, he saw Jack Sisco typing away on a control pad as he pulled two Cannon Tortoises out of their storage containers.

"Tell me, Jack. What do you plan to do with the Cannon Tortoises?" Ozpin asked.

"Two of your students can use them in the battle tomorrow." Jack replied.

That didn't make any sense to the headmaster of Beacon Academy. Why use such slow Zoids in a battle with a Zoid as fast and agile as the Lightning Saix? Not to mention the other Zoids that the Blitz Team is bound to have on their side that will surely be faster and more mobile than the tiny Cannon Tortoises.

"That doesn't seem like a very good idea. The Cannon Tortoises will never be able to keep up with your Lightning Saix!" Ozpin said. "I mean, really, only another Lightning Saix could possibly keep up with you!"

But Jack didn't seem to be discouraged by these facts. He just placed a hand on Ozpin's shoulder.

"Let me handle all the planning. Do that, and I can guarantee the battle's ours." Jack said. "You DO want to win this, don't you?"

"Well, sure. But…" Ozpin tried to voice his concerns.

But Jack just cut him off as he continued to work with the Cannon Tortoise Zoids.

"Then leave this in my hands. I'M the one who never loses."

Jack typed a few commands into the console he was working on, and the machines that maintained the Zoids began to go to work. Mechanical arms lowered a huge gun onto the back of each Cannon Tortoise. The Buster Cannon offers superior range and firepower to the Zoid, but the weight causes a huge loss in mobility.

"If you mount something like THAT onto the Cannon Tortoises, then the speed will practically slow down to a crawl! What are you planning, mister Sisco?" Ozpin asked.

"Don't you worry! Just leave it to the pro!" Jack said. "And I think my plan will benefit from two of your students piloting those Gun Snipers while you pilot that there Gojulas. I just need to make a few modifications."

Ozpin hummed, obviously not liking what the mercenary may have planned. But he also knows that it's pointless to argue right now, so he left to carry out his business with the rest of the team. All of whom seemed to be a little on edge.

"You ARE still the team's leader. Aren't you, professor?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, if you ask me, you're giving that mercenary far too much control!" Mercury added.

But Ozpin wasn't worried.

"Oh, trust me children, this will all blow over soon. We'll use the mercenary and his strength, but nothing else will change." Ozpin said.

Jack waited until they were out of earshot, then scoffed as he glanced in their direction.

"You call yourself a team?"

* * *

 _ ***Back With The Blitz Team…***_

* * *

We now find ourselves in the common room of the Blitz Team where we see Doctor Toros and Sarah Arc are balancing upside down on top of their heads. Their faces were turning red from all the blood that was rushing to their brains, and it was warranting some concern from the team.

"Should we even ask?" Brad inquired.

"Well… I thought I might have some sort of breakthrough." Doc replied.

Sarah gave a subtle nod of agreement, being careful not to lose her balance. But their children were very worried that this might affect their parents and their mental and physical health.

"I think that's enough, Dad." Leena said, concerned for her father's health.

That's when the door slid open and Jamie walked in. And from the look on his face, I'd say he's got news for the team.

"A message just came in from the Battle Commission, guys! We have a Zoid Battle at ten o'clock tomorrow against the Beacon Team in Battle Mode 0982!" Jamie said.

Jaune and Yang recognized the name of the team almost immediately and narrowed their eyes in anger. They don't know who they sent this time, but chances are they're not going to be anyone good.

Raven also recognized the team name, but decided to stay focused on the fight that lay ahead.

"Where would that be?" Raven asked.

"Coordinates W06B36." Jamie replied.

He entered the coordinates into the computer and they found that the battlefield was not something that one would expect from the Beacon Team.

"A total desert." Brad said.

"No shit, sherlock! But the field's enormous! It must be at least thirty square kilometers!" Raven quipped.

Brad ignored the obvious smart aleck attitude he was getting from the older female on the team and gave some useful information to help them in the battle.

"I hear that Jack Sisco uses an Ultra High Speed Lightning Saix, so judging by the location he wants to capitalize on his speed." Brad theorized.

 **"I'VE GOT IT! I'VE GOT IIIIIIT-OOF!"** cried Doctor Toros as he finally lost his balance.

But while he fell face first onto the floor, Sarah performed a front flip and landed gracefully on her feet. Although, the doctor's sudden outburst did freak out the team and snap Jaune out of his stupor.

"Uh, Doc? Mom?" Jaune asked uncertainly.

The good doctor ignored him and sprang up to his feet before running out of the room laughing like a maniac, nearly knocking Jamie over as he did. Ladies and Gentlemen, I think that Jaune now fears for the doctor's mental stability. And to make matters worse, Sarah must've had the same idea and was following the doctor at almost the same speed.

"I'll never change him." Leena said with a sigh.

"Parents will be parents, I guess." Jaune added.

Then he sat down on the sofa and motioned for everyone else to sit down. The others instantly got the message. Team meeting! Eyes and ears on the speaker, now! Naturally, everyone (sans Sarah and Doctor Toros) took a seat as they waited for Jaune to get the meeting started. Naturally, Leena and Yang sat on either side of Jaune while he collected his thoughts.

"As you all know, tomorrow we'll be facing off against the Beacon Team. And there are only seven people I can think of who might make up this team." Jaune said.

He quickly typed some stuff into the computer and pulled up the files for the team. Turns out he was right about four of the members, but the fifth one caught him by surprise.

"WHAT?! OZPIN IS ON THIS TEAM?!" Jaune cried out in shock.

"You mean the headmaster of that school and the guy that wants to basically turn you into a breeding stock?" Brad asked, his fists clenching.

"The very same. I had no idea he'd try to come after me himself. It's a wonder he hasn't sent the whole Atlesian Military to try and take me back to Remnant." Jaune replied.

"So, who are the other four?" Jamie asked.

Yang decided to field this one. Seeing as how one of these little traitors was the cause of her torture in the first place.

"The two girls and the boy with black hair are Jaune's former teammates. The redhead and the ginger are Pyrrha Nikos and Nora Valkyrie respectively. The boy is Lei Ren. And the lazy looking bastard with gray hair is the no good bastard who framed me and got me thrown in the clink in the first place!" Yang explained.

Jaune typed in a few more codes and pulled up images and statistics of the Zoids that the Beacon Team primarily uses.

"Seems to me like Pyrrha normally pilots a Murasame Liger. Nora's Iron Kong packs a serious punch, both figuratively and VERY literally! Then there's Ren who pilots a customized Heldigunner. Mercury commonly pilots a basic Command Wolf, and Ozpin is almost NEVER seen in battle without his trusty Gojulas! And with Jack and his Lightning Saix on their team, it looks as though I won't be able to easily come up with a winning strategy for us to use against them!" Jaune said.

"I know, right? A total fustercluck!" said a familiar Beacon teacher.

Jaune yelped and jumped out his seat before punching Ozpin right in the gut, making the headmaster double over clutching his gut in pain. The rest of the team was both disturbed AND impressed at the same time.

"Nice shot!" praised Raven. "From what Yang told me about you in your early time at Beacon, you used to try and run away from danger rather than attack it head on."

"Yeah, Yang helped me fix that. Now, I channel my fight or flight instincts to 'fight' rather than 'flight'. We affectionately refer to what I just did as Fear Punching." Jaune explained. "But that aside, when did you get here?! I didn't even sense your Aura!"

As Ozpin stood up, he offered a lopsided grin to try and get his two former students to relax. But from the looks of anger on their faces, it isn't working.

"I affectionately refer to it as Stealth Mode." Ozpin quipped. "But I digress, I am actually here on official business. It's in regards to you as a person, mister Arc."

Jaune clenched his fists tightly, already knowing what Ozpin wanted.

"Don't bother trying to sugarcoat your intentions, Ozpin! I know why you're here! You want to take me back to Remnant away from my only true friends, stick me in a breeding program with a bunch of women that YOU chose to bare my children, just so you can have an army of huntsmen and huntresses for your own pointless grudge against a woman called Salem, am I right."

It wasn't a question.

Ozpin's eyes widened in surprise. But he guessed that his students finding out about the plan was bound to happen eventually. And he could tell from the young Arc's tone of voice, body language and the murderous look in his eyes, he wasn't going to go through with the plan without some SERIOUS persuasion!

More like NEVER!

"Mister Arc, you must understand that I am doing this not just for the good of Remnant but for YOUR OWN good as well! That is why I have selected several strong and very beautiful women for you to marry, so if you'll just come along with me-"

"Not on your life!" growled Jaune.

Ozpin's eyes snapped open in surprise as he looked to meet Jaune's gaze. He regretted doing so instantly. The once kind and gentle blue eyes of the Arc boy were now an angry and highly malevolent blood red due to the boy's own anger.

"I have been you people's doormat for far too long, _Ozpin_!" Jaune said, making the man cringe at the venom used in his name. "You claim that this is for my own good, but did you even think about what _I want_ for my children? Did you ever think that maybe, oh I don't know, I DON'T want them to grow up as nothing but mindless weapons for you to use and throw away as you see fit?!"

The silver haired man took an involuntary step back as a nervous sweat began to roll down his brow. In all honesty, he hadn't considered what Jaune might want for his children. But in his opinion, the fate of all of Remnant was much more important that what a single man wanted for his children.

He moved to speak, but Jaune silenced him with a hand around his throat.

"No, of course you didn't! You only care about some fucked up plan that won't even work in the long run! Well you know what? **YOU CAN TAKE YOUR PLAN AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR ARSE! BECAUSE I WILL NEVER LET YOU DECIDE ANYONE'S FATE BECAUSE OF YOUR WARMONGERING MIND!"**

With that said, Jaune finally released Ozpin from the death grip he had on the man's neck, allowing him to take big gulps of air due to lack of oxygen. No doubt about it now. Raven definitely used the olden day Branwen family Right of The Soul to create a bond between Jaune and several other girls. He can already tell from Jaune's earlier display that Yang is definitely one of those girls.

But the question now is who the others are. Who else has been bound to Jaune's soul through this olden day ritual?

Ozpin cleared his throat and stood up as he finally got his second wind again.

"Well, regardless of how you may feel about this mister Arc, we can not simply abandon the plan just because you said no. So how about this? A little bet before the battle in order to set some parameters for us to follow. If the Beacon Team wins the battle tomorrow, then you shall come back to Remnant with us. WILLINGLY. But if the Blitz Team wins, then we'll back off for a little while and your team will receive double the usual prize money." Ozpin offered.

He held out his hand to shake on the deal, which Jaune was hesitant to accept. But even now, the looks he was getting from the team made it clear what their only option was. So, Jaune and the Headmaster of Beacon shook on it.

"You better keep your word when the Blitz Team wins!" Jaune growled.

"No need to worry. Unlike most others you may encounter, and most certainly unlike the Backdraft Group, I am a man of my word." Ozpin said.

And with that, the manager for the Beacon Team let himself out while everyone else went to be for the night. They were going to need their strength for the battle tomorrow.

* * *

 _ ***The Next Day…***_

* * *

The Hover Cargo was well on its way to the site of the battle, but not everyone was prepared. Doctor Toros was snoring away in his usual spot on the command deck. Sarah was also there, but unlike Doctor Toros, she's used to going a long time without sleep due to her days as a huntress.

"Time to wake up! Come on, Doc! Sarah, you don't want to miss your son's battle!" Jamie urged.

Doctor Toros did wake up, but just for a minute. And Sarah was still half asleep.

"We ended up working right through the night working on the Liger's system." Doc said before he fell asleep again.

"Come on, we're almost there!" Jamie said, trying to get Doctor Toros to stay awake.

The Hover Cargo eventually made it to the Battlefield and stopped as it prepared the catapult to launch the team's Zoids. The first to launch was Raven and her Rev Raptor. Both wanted to participate in another battle, and since it was a six on six battle this time every pilot on the team was launching. Next came Brad and the Command Wolf. After that, Jamie and his Pteras were launched and took to the skies.

Jamie was at least glad to know that Sarah would be monitoring the battle in his stead while he was out there fighting. Next up, Yang and her Geno Saurus were launched off of the catapult and onto the desert field. The Tyrannosaurus Zoid let loose a loud roar of power, challenging any Zoid in the area to a fight. And finally, the Dibison jumped off of its own launch pad and into the Battlefield.

But back in the Hover Cargo, Jaune was running a few last minute scans to make sure the Liger's repainted armor was still working the way it should.

"Everything seems to be working perfectly with Liger's base armor, mom! No anomalies detected!" Jaune reported.

"Got it, son! Oh! By the way, this all happened so fast that you forgot to name Liger's new armors, so you better do that now while you still can!" Sarah prompted.

Jaune thought about each armor and how they were improved as opposed to their old selves. He already has names thought up for each one.

"The High Speed Armor with the Buster Claws will be called Destructor, for now. The purple bladed armor we'll call the Cuchilla Violeta. And the high defensive long range armor we'll call Tanque." Jaune said.

Sarah typed in the names of each armor and input them into the system.

"And what about Liger's base armor? It's not exactly the basic 'Zero' Armor anymore." Sarah inquired.

Jaune thought hard about this one. Liger's armor is now midnight black, but the Zoid also seems to have Stealth Coat shielding from most enemies at night.

Wait a minute…!

"Imperial! We'll call the base armor the Liger Zero Imperial!" Jaune answered.

"Alright then, we're all set! Launching Liger Zero Imperial, now!"

And with that said, the newly dubbed Liger Zero Imperial was launched from the Hover Cargo. And just in time, too!

A few miles away, a Judge Capsule crashed into the ground. And Jaune noticed that in each battle, the Judge stayed as far away from the Zoids as possible.

"The Judge sure does like to keep his distance." Jaune observed.

The Judge Capsule rose up from its crater and opened up before rotating in a semi circle as the Judge began to scan the Battlefield.

 **"The area within a thirty mile radius is a designated Zoid Battlefield. This zone is now restricted! Only competitors and personnel have authorized entry. Danger! All others must leave the area at once! Area scanned… Battlefield set up. The Blitz Team versus the Beacon Team. Battle Mode 0982. Ready… FIGHT!"**

The gong sounded and Jaune got pumped up and ready to fight. As did Yang and her Geno Saurus.

"Alright, let's do this!" exclaimed Yang.

"Our enemy's thirty kilometers away. What's there to do?" Brad asked.

"We should at least stay together until we've confirmed their location." Leena suggested.

"Then I'll go scout them out!" Jamie volunteered.

"Roger that! Be careful, Jamie." Jaune said in agreement.

The Blitz Team's Zoids began the long and slow journey to try and find their enemies while Jamie and the Pteras flew off to scout out the enemy Zoids. But little did they know that the enemy was waiting for them. And it's true, because now we can see the Beacon Team plus Jack Sisco waiting at the very edge of the battlefield.

The Lightning Saix stood very calm as opposed to the tense Cannon Tortoises, Gun Snipers with Weasel Units and Gojulas with giant back mounted cannons. While Ozpin piloted the Gojulas, Ren and Mercury were piloting the Cannon Tortoises while Pyrrha and Nora were in the Gun Snipers.

"The battle's started, guys." Ren said.

"So Jack, what's our plan of attack?" Pyrrha asked.

"It's very simple. You just need to follow two rules." Jack replied.

The Invincible Girl and acting leader of Team (J)NPR began grinning like a maniac.

"WOW, that IS simple! So…?"

"Don't move, and keep firing." Jack said.

Now THAT kinda confused Pyrrha. And I mean REALLY confused him, because that sounded like something a Halo player would do. Or possibly Yang.

"What kinda rule is that?!" Pyrrha asked.

"You five don't need to move from this spot. When I give the signal, start firing toward the designated area." Jack ordered. "But if one of them decides to take the battle to you, Ozpin will be the one to intercept them on account of his Gojulas being the stronger of your five Zoids."

But due to her own competitive nature, which only strengthened due to all of her past tournament battles, Pyrrha didn't like this plan at all.

"HEY! You can't just use us like we're fixed heavy cannons!" shouted Pyrrha.

However, Jack remained unfazed by the spartan's outburst.

"If you follow me, you'll just get in the way." Jack said.

"THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU PUT US IN THESE KINDS OF ZOIDS IN THE FIRST PLACE, HUH?!" Pyrrha shouted in anger.

"Everyone always wants to make the same tactical maneuvers as my Lightning Saix, even if it's far beyond their Zoid's capabilities. With the Cannon Tortoises, the Gun Snipers and the Gojulas, I figured any fool would know they couldn't keep up." Jack explained.

Now THIS TIME, Nora was the one to have an outburst.

 **"Why you dirty…! Come back here so I can break your legs!"** Nora yelled as Jack and his Lightning Saix ran off to face the enemy.

"Not much we can do now, Nora. I think he's got you beat." Mercury said, adding his two cents.

"What do we do now, professor?" Pyrrha asked.

"I'm afraid we have no choice here. We'll have to follow through with Jack's plan until I can think of something." Ozpin said.

RELUCTANTLY, the team agreed and began waiting for the signal. Whatever it may be.

As Jack and his Lightning Saix sped across the battlefield, the scene shifted to a restaurant where several other Zoid warriors were watching the battle on live feed.

"Hey look, Jack Sisco and that rookie team called the Beacon Team is taking on the Blitz Team!" one warrior called out.

"This I gotta see!" said another warrior.

Back with the Blitz Team, they had finally made it to about the halfway point after a bit of walking and spotted something. Something fast and very not good for them.

"Enemy Zoid advancing towards us!" Leena reported.

And sure enough, the speedy Zoid known as the Lightning Saix pulled up to a nice and easy stop as it met up with the Blitz Team. And Jack was a bit surprised at the appearance of two certain Zoids.

"A Liger…! Never seen that type before! And they've got a Geno Saurus too!" Jack said to himself. "Looks like this battle just got a bit more interesting. Let's start, Ozpin!"

"He's about five hundred meters away!" Brad reported.

"Jamie, where are the other five?" Raven asked. "I'm not picking anything up on radar, so I'm assuming that he's the only one that charged ahead."

"He wants to go head to head like this and take on all six of us?" Leena asked.

What she got back was a nervous reply that threw them all off.

"Uh, about that… You all might want to **RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"**

And sure enough, Jamie was right to be panicking. The Blitz Team cried out in surprise and outrage as they were bombarded with fire from Sniper Rifles, Heavy Cannons and giant Buster Cannons!

Brad grunted and pushed the controls of his Command Wolf forward, having been the first of the team to recover from that barrage.

"You scum!" growled Brad.

He tried to get the Wolf moving, but he got hit by a shot from the Lightning Saix's back mounted rifles. And while this seemed to give away his location, Leena didn't seem to realize just how fast a Lightning Saix can really move.

"Over there!" exclaimed Leena.

She turned her Dibison in the direction of the gunfire and shot a few blasts from her Shock Cannon, but grunted at the impact as her own Zoid was the one that was hit. But she recovered quickly and kept a level head despite the situation.

"A-Are we surrounded?!" she stuttered.

"No, but you might as well be!" Jamie replied.

Jaune and his Liger Zero managed to get out of the blast radius where the cannon shots were being launched and managed to spot the main enemy.

"There he is!" exclaimed Jaune.

Jack and his Lightning Saix immediately turned tail and began running away, but Jaune and Liger Zero Imperial weren't about to let that happen again!

"Oh no you don't!"

Liger Zero roared as it took off after Jack and his Lightning Saix, but the Cheetah type Zoid possesses far greater speed and maneuverability than the Liger Zero. And this particular mercenary has that speed refined to an art. Jack smirked as he poured on the speed.

"Come on, kitty!" taunted Jack.

He made his Lightning Saix make a tight turn just as several cannon and Sniper Rifle rounds impacted the ground. But Jaune was determined to stop Jack and his Lightning Saix from doing any more harm to his team!

"I'll get you!" growled Jaune.

But as he made to turn after the Lightning Saix, he and Liger Zero were stopped by several cannon blasts. And that's just what gave Jack the opportunity to strike at the Liger. Jaune grunted as Liger Zero was hit repeatedly, and barely registered Jamie telling the team that he was leaving the battleground to make an emergency landing.

Once he got his bearings back, he saw Jack and his Zoid run off again and narrowed his eyes.

"Ugh! He's fast…!" muttered Jaune.

"Several Cannon Tortoises, Gun Snipers or other long range Zoids must be out there firing a long range barrage." Doctor Toros theorized tiredly.

"But they'll never hit their targets at THAT kind of distance, so what's the point of doing so?" Sarah asked, now a little more awake.

"They're not trying to, they're just using it for cover. And while the stray fire keeps our team confused, the Lightning Saix will take advantage and strike them at high speed." Doctor Toros elaborated, even though he was still tired.

And out at the edge of the field, the Cannon Tortoises, Gun Snipers and Gojulas were doing their job and shooting a barrage of long range fire. But the Gojulas was shooting at a slower pace due to how big its own bullets are.

"Keep it up, team! We'll beat them yet!" Ozpin encouraged.

"Head's up, doc! Look's like we got a bogey inbound!" Mercury reported.

Ozpin stopped firing for a second and checked his monitor. He zoomed in on something and saw that the Geno Saurus was zooming toward them at its own famed high speed.

"So Yang managed to break away from our cannon fire." Ozpin said to himself.

He narrowed his eyes at the Tyrannosaurus type Zoid headed their way.

' _If that thing is allowed to stop us, then our victory will surely be stripped away from us!'_ Ozpin thought to himself.

He stopped shooting and began to move the Gojulas forward.

"Keep shooting, everyone! Focus on the rest of the Blitz Team while I intercept that Geno Saurus!" Ozpin ordered.

"Roger that!" was the collective response.

Ozpin moved the Gojulas forward and managed to quickly gain enough distance to keep Yang far enough away from the rest of the team. The Geno Saurus deactivated its boosters and thrusters as it glared up at the giant Zoid. It growled as he remembered Yang telling it all about those who had hurt her back at Beacon while half of his soul still inhabited that Elephander.

"I'm afraid that's close enough, miss Xiao Long! Your battle's with me!" Ozpin declared.

"Fine! But just remember that you asked for it!" Yang growled back.

The Geno Saurus roared and aimed all of its weapons at the Gojulas and opened fire! The blasts didn't do too much damage to the Gojulas on their own, but it was enough to make the Gojulas screech in pain as Ozpin felt the impacts from within the cockpit.

"Those guns pack far more of a wallop than I anticipated!" Ozpin groaned.

He fired some of his own mid range weaponry, but Yang just made the Geno Saurus jump back to gain some distance, making every shot miss her. Then she had the Geno Saurus shoot out his left claw and caused it to hook onto a less armored part of the Gojulas. That's when the Tyrannosaurus type Zoid did something that not even Yang expected.

It sent out electrical currents right into Ozpin's Gojulas, causing it to shriek in excrutiating pain as it was electrocuted. Ozpin also screamed in pain as the electrical currents even reached the inside of the cockpit. Truly this Zoid he was facing was something the likes of Atlas could only DREAM of creating!

"You're a formidable opponent, Yang… But I'm not ready to lose just yet!" Ozpin declared.

Using his own willpower, Ozpin took aim at the Geno Saurus and shot a blast from the giant cannons on his Gojulas. However, the Geno Saurus reacted in time and released Ozpin before jumping back and avoiding the blast. As he reeled his claw back in, his human partner seemed to be strategizing.

"Looks like I'll need to either out maneuver or overpower that behemoth of a Zoid. You ready partner?" Yang asked.

The Geno Saurus roared in affirmative and charged back into the fray.

But the rest of the team wasn't faring quite as well. Brad tried to find cover for his Command Wolf, but all of the long range heavy fire was cutting him off at every pass!

"Man! Where…?"

As Brad and the Command Wolf tried to recover, they were hit from the left by the Lightning Saix which promptly ran away to gain some more distance.

"I'll find you!" Brad said under his breath.

He shot some blasts from his Long Range Cannon at the Lightning Saix, but each one missed the speedy Zoid by a single stride each. Leena charged in with her Dibison with Raven and her Rev Raptor covering her.

"You're ours now, Jack!" Leena declared.

She and Raven stopped their Zoids and shot several blasts from their Megalo Max Assault Cannons and Missile Pods respectively. But just as it seemed their blasts were gonna hit, Jack made his Lightning Saix dart from its previous space while the missiles and bullets hit the ground causing damage to the environment instead of the Zoids.

"No way!" gasped Leena.

"Well, this is a fine predicament!" Raven quipped irritably.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!" roared Jaune.

He activated the Liger's Ion Boosters and tried to catch up to Jack and his Lightning Saix, but it was no good. He just isn't fast enough to catch up to Jack.

"You're too slow kid! Save your energy!" Jack taunted.

He poured on the speed and his Lightning Saix once again zoomed nearly out of sight of the Liger Zero Midnight Shield. Jaune growled and gritted his teeth as he thought about the chances of Ozpin dragging him back to Remnant and turning him into nothing more than a breeding machine. And he wasn't about to EVER let that happen!

"I'll never catch up at this rate! Doc, Mom let me use Liger's new components!" Jaune said over the comm system.

"GREAT! I thought you'd never ask!" Doctor Toros exclaimed, instantly waking up. "Sarah and I stayed up all night working on them. Now, do you want to use the Cuchilla Violeta, or maybe the Tanque?"

"Not those ones, Doc. Get Liger Zero Destructor ready for me." Jaune ordered.

"The Zero Destructor… I'm on it!" Doctor Toros said.

Back at the Hover Cargo, a ramp at the back of the transport lowered to allow the Liger Zero to climb up into the launch bay.

The Liger Zero ran up the ramp to the inside of the Hover Cargo and walked onto a platform where they usually launch the Zoids from the catapult. But this time, something else was going on. Jaune activated the CAS System and ejected the Liger's armor and Ion Boosters just as several robot arms moved out of the walls and began to remove it all.

"Liger Zero Imperial secured on the Maintenance Deck!" Sarah announced.

Once all of the armor and the Boosters were removed from the Liger and pulled into the walls, revealing them to be storage areas, the walls began rotating as the new system was being selected.

"Liger… Your new system's called 'Destructor'." Jaune said to his Zoid.

He then pushed the controls forward and the walls to the inside of the Hover Cargo stopped rotating before opening up to reveal the black and red streaked armor that is the Destructor unit.

First the armor for the head and cheeks was snapped into place. Next came the body, then the legs and arms, and finally the end of the tail. The Ion Boosters and Buster Claws were also mounted onto the Liger's back where they were supposed to go. To complete the armor change, the interior of the cockpit changed as well. The seat for the pilot was made to lean back in order to reduce the strain on the pilot and prevent whiplash.

The arms that held the armor retracted back into the walls just as Jaune ran a systems check to make sure everything was fine. Seeing no anomalies, the platform was raised to the catapult to prepare for launch.

"Liger Zero Destructor CAS complete!"

As the Catapult prepared to launch Jaune and the Liger, our blonde hero had just one thing to say in this situation.

 **"GO DESTRUCTOR!"**

The Liger Zero was launched from the catapult and immediately took off running faster than it ever ran before. And it didn't even need to use the thrusters to gain the necessary speed.

But as the battle continued to wear on, Brad and the others weren't holding up so well! Jack and his Lightning Saix plus the constant fire was too much for them to handle in this situation!

"Come in, Jack. What's the status?" Pyrrha asked.

"Keep doing what you're doing. I've almost won your battle for you." Jack replied.

"Roger that…" said a reluctant Pyrrha.

"This wasn't even a challenge!" Jack said, disappointed at the lack of a challenge.

That's when his computer began to beep with a warning. He looked at it and saw a yellow blip approaching him at high speeds.

"Object approaching from the rear."

And out of the hot desert sun, a black and red torpedo of hybrid power was running to catch the Lightning Saix as it ran with speeds previously inaccessible to it. The Liger Zero Destructor was soon running right alongside the Lightning Saix, making Jack's eyes widen in shock.

"The Liger…! How can that Zoid keep up with me?!" Jack questioned.

Jaune roared in fury as he had the Zero Destructor ram into the side of Jack's Lightning Saix. From within the cockpit, Jack's eyes were wide with shock before he grinned and his eyes narrowed with determination.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a serious contender, Lightning Saix!" Jack said to his Zoid.

He pushed a button and activated the Saix's Ion Boosters causing the Cheetah Zoid to take off at hypersonic speeds, and creating a sonic boom in the process. But Jaune was ready for him this time.

"Activating Destructor Ion Boosters!"

The small and highly powerful boosters opened up and the Liger Zero Destructor zoomed off at 600 km/h, being more than a match for the speed of Jack and his Lightning Saix. And Jack was beginning to see that he wouldn't be able to outrun this opponent so easily.

"I can't shake him! I… I don't understand what's going on!" Jack said to himself.

He began to grin as he felt his blood boil from sheer excitement.

"Come in, Jack! What's the matter?!" Pyrrha asked.

"It's been a long time since I had a rush like this!" Jack said to himself.

"Jack, are you hit?! Should we keep firing?!" Pyrrha asked frantically.

The mercenary activated his communications system and just said one simple sentence to Pyrrha.

"Stand back and watch the pro!"

Jack intensified his speed and the two Zoids were soon ramming into each other as they ran at top speed to try and get an edge against each other. And within the cockpit of the Liger, Jaune was beginning to feel the strain of a High Speed Battle.

"Ggghk! Hrrrrnn! I don't think I can keep this up for much longer…!" grunted Jaune.

"Oh yeah! This is what I've been waiting for!" Jack said, excitement clear in his voice.

The two speeding Zoids veered off course of each other and gained some distance before they charged once again. And neither one showed any signs of slowing down.

"So you wanna play chicken, huh? **THEN WE'LL SEE WHO'S THE CHICKEN!"** declared Jaune.

 **"LET'S MOVE!"** yelled Jack.

The Lightning Saix and the Liger Zero Destructor ran top speed before leaping into the air with their claws poised to strike. They roared in challenge as they passed each other and tumbled along the ground, receiving additional damage from the impact. Liger Zero tried to get up, but it was having some trouble. As proven by the shaky steps it was taking.

"What's wrong, Liger? Are you hurt?!" Jaune asked, worried for his partner's health.

" **Lightning Saix, get on your feet!"** ordered Jack.

The Cheetah type Zoid managed to get back on all fours, but it tilted to one side as it's left foreleg began sparking and gave out at the elbow joint.

"Your leg…!" grunted Jack, now worried for HIS partner.

And while he was worrying for his partner, the rest of the Blitz Team (Sans Yang and Jamie) strode up to meet up with Jack. And boy do they look pissed!

"Tricky move back there, Jack." Leena said with malicious intent.

"Time we return the favor!" Brad added.

"Yeah, what they said!" Raven finished.

Jack growled as the odds were quickly turned out of his favor. He tried to get the Lightning Saix running again, but it was a challenge for the Zoid to even turn around with its damaged leg! And it looks like Jack was seeing the only possible outcome of this battle.

And he didn't like it!

"No chance! I've NEVER lost before!" Jack said in denial.

"There's always a first. Use this experience to learn and grow as a warrior, Jack Sisco. And maybe someday we'll meet again on the field of battle!"

My, how poetic of you, Raven. She readied her Rev Raptor's twin scythes and prepared to finish the job, but was halted by the voice of a certain valkyrie.

 **"NORA BLAST!"** yelled Nora.

The Blitz Team looked over to see that the Cannon Tortoises and the Gun Snipers were heading right for them, weapons primed and ready to fire.

"Oh, thanks a lot for giving away our position, Nora!" scolded Ren.

Oh well, he'll have to be mad about that later. Right now, they've got enemies to defeat and a teammate to bring back home! They readied their weapons and shot a small barrage at the Blitz Team. These projectiles exploded on contact, making Mercury pump his fist in delight at the outcome.

"How do ya like THEM bullets!" gloated Mercury.

But he began to panic as his radar detected something moving toward them at high speed. IT'S LIGER ZERO! Jaune managed to evade the barrage in time and was now coming up around behind them.

Liger Zero roared as it readied its newest attack. It ran past the four Zoids so fast that it created a sonic boom that sent the four Zoids flying away. It dealt major damage to the Zoids and froze their combat systems at the same time! But while Jaune dealt with them, let's see how Yang is doing against Ozpin.

The Geno Saurus leapt back and fired its weapons at the Gojulas again. The blasts were slowly wearing down the larger Zoid, but it's clear that Ozpin has the advantage of the two Zoids here.

"Just give up, miss Xiao Long! You and your Geno Saurus are quite formidable, but you can't keep this up forever!" Ozpin gloated.

As she panted from exertion inside the cockpit of her Zoid, Yang knew one thing only.

"Much as I hate to admit it, he's right! We can't keep this up for much longer! What do we do, partner?" Yang asked.

The Geno Saurus roared in response and did something that once again caught Yang by surprise. He lowered his footlocks, snapped out his tail and opened up the four segments from tip to base. This revealed several vents and heat sinks for the Geno Saurus's ultimate weapon!

And that's exactly what appeared on Yang's screen.

"Charged Particle Cannon? Can you really pull it off?" Yang asked.

In response, the Geno Saurus aligned its body and tail into a horizontal line and opened its mouth to reveal and extend the hidden gun barrel. Yang grinned at her partner's attitude. But she knows what the answer is.

"Yeah, you know I believe in you! I got faith in your potential!" Yang said.

Energy slowly began to pool inside of the Geno Saurus's mouth as he powered up his weapon. Ozpin didn't seem to show any fear, thinking that the Gojulas's thick armor would be enough to either tank or deflect the blast. But he was sadly mistaken.

The blast of condensed energy fired from the Geno Saurus's cannon and sailed straight for the Gojulas at high speed! It instantly punctured through the Zoid's body, intentionally missing the core and causing Ozpin to curse as his Zoid toppled over with its computer frozen.

The people watching the live feed from the restaurant cheered for the awesome battle and the results that were announced.

 **"The battle is over! The battle is over! The winner is… the Blitz Team!"**

Once Jaune and Jack had taken a moment to calm down from the adrenaline rush they'd gotten from the battle, they stepped out of their Zoids and met out of the field.

"So what's your name, warrior?" Jack asked.

"Jaune Arc, but you can call me Jaune. And this here is my partner, Liger Zero."

"Liger Zero, huh? Very impressive acceleration." Jack praised.

"Thanks. I was about to say the same about your Lightning Saix." Jaune admitted.

"Next time, how about you and I go one on one?" Jack offered.

Jaune shrugged and massaged his left shoulder. The speed he and Liger were moving at nearly turned him into a living pancake. And he did NOT want another repeat of what was dubbed the Pancake Incident with HIM as the pancake in question.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm gonna have to pass. High speed battles are real murder on the body." Jaune politely declined.

"You're one of the rare few men who understand that." said an impressed Jack Sisco.

"HOLD ON A SECOND THERE!"

Both warriors turned to see an angry Pyrrha stomping towards them. Jaune growled and facepalmed at what he was bound to have to go through now.

"What happened out there, Sisco?! You said you NEVER lose!" Pyrrha questioned in anger.

But rather than being afraid of the spartan's anger, Jack just smiled as he recognized his own faults as a warrior. He'd grown far too arrogant because of his winning streak, and that caused him to lose the battle.

"Yeah, I guess I did. Sorry, Kid. I don't expect any reward, and next time I'll help you out for free. You name the time." Jack offered.

"I WANT A REMATCH, NOW!" shouted Pyrrha before she rounded on Jaune. "Jaune, we challenge you to a rematch right here and now!"

Jaune nervously backed away from his deranged former teammates and began to run for his life as they gave chase.

"No way! I'm done for the day!" denied Jaune.

"Come back here, you coward!" Pyrrha demanded.

"Lea'mme alone! You're creeping me out!" Jaune demanded in response.

"Aw, come on, Jaune-Jaune! It'll be fun!" Nora pleaded.

Jack just watched the interaction with a grin on his face. That kid and his team are gonna go far in this business. And he's got a feeling that the name 'Liger Knight' will be a common name to hear around this continent someday.

* * *

 _ ***To Be Continued…***_

* * *

 _ **Ending Narration (Raven): "HOLY CRAP! LEENA'S DIBISON JUST GOT SHOT DOWN AND KILLED BY AN ENEMY ZOID IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR LAST BATTLE! A Mysterious new Zoid that is strikingly familiar has arrived on the scene in the hands of the Backdraft Group, who have challenged the Blitz Team to yet ANOTHER unsanctioned battle! But this time, I'm not so sure we can beat them this time. We BARELY managed to win against them in our last battle!"**_

" _ **Hoo boy… Somebody had best alert the paramedics, because all of this stress just might give me a heart attack one day. Next time on RWBY New Century Zero: Rewrite; The Dark Giant - The Invincible Elephander! Let's just hope the Elephander isn't as invincible as they claim it to be… Ready, FIGHT!"**_

* * *

 _ **Okay, people the poll for the remaining two soul mates of Jaune's has been closed and the choices have been made! And the winners are… Naomi Flugel and Blake Belladonna! Now, I have an idea for how Naomi initially gets together with Jaune, but I need some help in regards to Blake. If you would be so kind as to send in your ideas in your reviews, that would help the story's progress immensely. And as always, I'll see you in my next chapter! Arrivederci, my friends! Also, I have a new poll on my profile, so be sure to vote on that!**_

 _ **Poll Question: In RWBY New Century Zero: Rewrite, I plan to have Yang be confronted by three Geno Sauruses. What kind of Geno Sauruses should they be?**_

 _ **Poll Options:**_

 _ **Geno Saurus (Standard: Black and Purple)**_

 _ **Geno Saurus (Raven Custom: Black and Red)**_

 _ **Geno Saurus (Fuzors Variant: Black and Yellow)**_


	8. Chapter 7

**"Organized under strict rules and regulations, Zoid Battles are fighting competitions held on enormous battlefields using mechanical combat units known as Zoids."**

 **"The enthusiast young warriors put their pride on the line and sharpen their skills against one another."**

 **"Battle Mode approved."**

 **"Area scanned…"**

 **"Battlefield set up."**

 **"Ready…"**

 **"FIGHT!"**

* * *

 _ **The Dark Giant! The Invincible Elephander!**_

* * *

Back at the Blitz Team Base, the team was celebrating their win against the Beacon team. The prize money was more than usual, so they were having a celebratory dinner that Jaune and Sarah had cooked up using prime ingredients they bought at the store.

"Well done, team! Another win for the Blitz Team!" Doc said, congratulating the team.

"We sure showed those Beacon dweebs who's boss!" Leena declared with her fist pumped in the air.

Brad nodded in agreement. Just from Ozpin's behavior alone, the ex mercenary could tell that Beacon's headmaster thought this would be an easy win for his team. Boy was HE proved wrong! Jaune walked into the common room carrying a tray of drinks like a professional waiter at a fancy restaurant, a big smile on his face.

"Phew! Boy, am I glad I finally gave my former team the slip! Pyrrha just doesn't know when to quit! And Nora wouldn't stop hounding me for a rematch just for the heck of it!" Jaune said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Aw, come on! It couldn't have been THAT bad!" Leena said, accepting a drink.

Jaune gave her a deadpan stare as a response before saying "Nora has more energy than anyone should be able to handle. Not to mention that she can only create MORE energy by using her Semblance to generate and absorb electricity in her body to not only increase her own strength, but to create a powerful shield and vaporize most enemies."

The team took a moment to think about having to fight someone with such abilities and all but Yang and Jaune shuddered at the thought. They'd be nothing but dust in less than a minute!

"Well, ignoring that gruesome image, let's not get hung up over the Beacon Team. This is a celebration! Let's enjoy ourselves and have fun!" Doctor Toros said.

The whole team raised their glasses and cheered to that.

And so, they spent the whole night partying, sharing stories from their pasts and just having a good time. Despite the troubles that no doubt lay over the horizon.

* * *

 _ ***Later That Month…***_

* * *

In a canyon region, a Zoid Battle was currently underway between the Blitz Team and the Viper Team. The battle was going in the Blitz Team's favor, but a thunder and lightning storm had happened. All of the electricity was making the Dibison and Leena nervous. It was no big secret that Zoids were natural lightning rods, whether they were wild Zoids created naturally or man-made Zoids.

Leena grunted as another bolt of electrical death just missed her Zoid. The lightning was seriously screwing with her Dibison's radar equipment, and Leena was struggling to keep her temper under control.

"Just my luck, to rain on my battle! How can I see the enemy when I can't even see what's in front of me?" Leena asked herself.

Brad appeared on Leena's comm monitor to try and get the girl to stay focused.

"Leena, keep your eyes peeled. The enemy's not far away!" Brad said.

"I know that, I saw him!" Leena said. "And the only one left is that one Stealth Viper, right?"

Leena's radar began to beep as it caught a signal. From behind a rock, the final Stealth Viper appeared. It must've been trying to ambush Leena, but the pilot got impatient and blew their own cover!

"Got it!" Leena said.

The targeter for her Megalomax Cannon locked onto the Stealth Viper as Leena prepared to take it down in one shot.

"This one's mine!" Leena declared.

She was ready to pull the trigger and take out the enemy, but stopped when her Thermal Sensors beeped. Leena looked to her scanner, and saw something. Something big.

"I'm picking up a heat source from behind the enemy Stealth Viper." Leena said. "What could be that enormous? I wonder..."

But that's when Leena got a closer look at the shadow's outline. It looked different… yet at the same time so familiar.

"Wait, isn't that…?"

She didn't get the chance to finish that train of thought as a huge shadow suddenly appeared behind the Stealth Viper, and whatever it was seemed to have its sights set on Leena and her Dibison! Whatever it was shot a lethal blow at Leena and her Zoid and totalled the mighty Bison! This is Schubaltz of Chaotic Century and his own Dibison all over again!

 **"This is an emergency! This is an emergency! Battle cancelled! Battle cancelled!"**

Up in the atmosphere, just over the battlefield, the Judge Satellite was orbiting the planet and receiving emergency signals from the Judge. Signals that meant the battle has been interrupted by an unidentified Zoid with malicious intentions.

 **"Satellite, lock on to the unregistered Zoid that has illegally entered the battlefield and interrupted battle!"**

" _Locked on!"_

 **"Attention, Unidentified Zoid! This is a warning! This is a warning!"**

"Unidentified?" asked the pilot.

He laughed a bit and said "We're the Backdraft Organization!"

His Zoid's ears fanned out and began to emit a high pitched hum as they started glowing. And as luck would have it, this humming glow is actually a jammer that's meant to hide the Zoid's presence from enemies. And this is no exception, as the guns on the surveillance satellite began aiming all over the place.

" _Lock-on disrupted! The target has disappeared!"_

The pilot of this Zoid laughed darkly as his Zoid made its way away from the crashed battle.

In a hidden location, several men in business attire were watching from various screens as this Zoid performed its task admirably. Each of the men gave words of praise, and even though their eyes are hidden by dark visors you can clearly see the evil in their eyes.

"He just shot down the Dibison with a single strike!" exclaimed one man.

"And it was somehow able to avoid the detection of the surveillance satellite!" said another.

An older gentleman grinned as he stroked his long beard.

"Very interesting indeed…!" he praised. "A Zoid like that could breathe new life into the world of the dark battles!"

Hovering on a platform is the only man who's actually there in person. A man with gray hair and is wearing a long coat with faux fur.

"That was just the tip of the iceberg, gentlemen! We will demonstrate its full power in the next match!" the man declared.

"Does that mean we can look forward to an unsanctioned battle sometime soon?" asked a younger man.

"I know I'm looking forward to it!" said an older man with a chuckle.

The man in the room who was speaking with these other men chuckled darkly. He loves this job!

* * *

 _ ***Blitz Team Headquarters…***_

* * *

Leena groaned loudly as the whole team was staring up at what was once the proud and mighty Dibison. The Zoid was barely recognizable! One of the horns was shot off, the back mounted cannons were totalled, it was covered in soot and the armor might as well be shrapnel! However, key components like the core and the Zoid's memory banks were still intact. But that doesn't make Leena any less pissed off.

"My Zoid gets all this damage and the battle ends up getting cancelled! This stinks!" whined Leena.

"We got no prize money and no points! If we'd at least gotten the money, we could fix the Dibison up enough to get it back on it's feet, but now there's nothing we can do!" Brad added.

"Let's not forget that the Viper Team is in the same boat as we are." Jamie said.

"The battle commission has made their decision, so we'll just have to go along with it, I'm afraid." Sarah stated.

Raven groaned, obviously disappointed by these events. She hated when stuff like this happened, and just KNOWS that the Backdraft Group is somehow behind this! She can feel it in her gut! Or perhaps that is the chili cheese mango she had at dinner last night finally passing through her system? Hard to tell.

"I hate to say this, Leena, but your Dibison is finished!" Jaune regrettably reported.

He looked at his soulmate and saw how depressed she looked over her Dibison's passing. Luckily, its armor did its job at protecting her, and her Aura healed what little physical damage she DID take. However, it wasn't enough to stop the bison from dying like it did.

Jaune put a comforting hand on Leena's shoulder, making the girl look him in the eye. She saw only concern, love and a sense of commitment not found in many men these days.

"Don't worry, Leena. I know how much you liked the Bison, but I have a plan! Let me sell this old Zoid to a contact I know, and I can buy you an incredible new Zoid of your own." Jaune said.

Leena was disappointed that the Dibison couldn't be saved, but she was touched by Jaune's willingness to go the distance to help her. She smiled and nodded.

"Just make sure that I'M the one to pick the Zoid." she said.

Jaune nodded and went off to inspect the Dibison. He has a pretty good idea of who done it, but he needs to be sure.

"Too bad about the poor Dibison." lamented Jamie.

"What's REALLY too bad is the fact that its armor wasn't strong enough to protect it!" Raven commented.

Leena scowled at what the older woman said, but there was really nothing she could offer as a rebuttal. After all, for such a heavily armored Zoid, her Dibison had been taken down rather easily by that Zoid.

Speaking of which…

"Guys I just remembered something! During the battle before me and the Dibison were shot down, I caught a faint outline of what the Zoid was! It looked just like an Elephander!" Leena reported.

"An Elephander?!" the rest of the team gasped.

"You mean like the one Yang's Geno Saurus used to be?!" Raven asked.

Leena nodded in affirmative.

"Yeah, only this one was bigger and had a lot more armor!" Leena replied.

"You might be right about that, Leena." Jaune said from the Dibison's back. "The Dibison looks like it's been shot by an AZ 60mm Hyper Laser Gun. And we all know only ONE Zoid that has THAT kind of firepower!"

Doctor Toros nodded in understanding.

"That makes perfect sense! But who could've been firing at Leena?" Doctor Toros asked before grinning. "Boy, that was some kind of assault, wasn't it?"

His attention turned from the Dibison to the video phone as it beeped, signaling an incoming call. Doctor Toros checked the screen and saw a Judge from the Zoid Battle Commission was the one calling them.

 **"Attention, Blitz Team. The Zoid Battle Commission has decided on a rematch to make up for the cancelled match with the Viper Team. The time and location are as follows."**

"I understand." Doctor Toros said as the time and location of the battle were given to them.

"So we're gonna have a rematch?" Leena asked.

"Good! We'll have another chance to earn some points AND the prize money!" Brad said. "Then maybe we can get Leena an even better Zoid."

"But this does beg the question. How will Leena go into battle without a Zoid? What is she supposed to pilot?" Sarah asked.

She only asked because Doctor Toros preferred to have Leena out on the battlefield since she was able to give the team cover fire due to her Dibison's superior long range abilities. But with the Dibison out of commission, there's not much else he can do.

Doctor Toros closed his eyes as he mulled over his options.

"Well, I can't send out Yang and her Geno Saurus. She took him out for a few repairs and to get the power of their weapons enhanced. And Raven is still working on figuring out why that White Fang terrorist group seems to be working with the Backdraft Group, so…"

Doctor Toros turned to Jamie as he made his choice.

"I'll just have to send you and your Pteras. Our chances aren't as good, but there's no choice."

Jamie gasped in fear at that choice. He still has serious confidence issues and doesn't like to fight, so he was hoping that he WOULDN'T be chosen for this fight.

"You want ME and my Pteras to fight in the battle?!" he asked incredulously.

"Jamie…"

The boy turned around to see Leena looking at him with an unreadable expression on her face. But he could feel the subtle underlying threat of castration if he didn't fight in the battle.

"Someone must seek revenge for my Dibison! I'm counting on you!" Leena said.

Jamie's face turned a little blue as he felt the menacing aura coming from the first of Jaune's soulmates. Why does HE have to be so timid and cowardly?!

* * *

 _ ***Unknown Location…***_

* * *

"Captain Stoller, how is the Elephander coming along?"

High above the clouds in a Backdraft Whale King, the same man from before was talking with one of the Backdraft Group's leading officers.

Stoller is a tall man of average build with short silver hair, icy blue eyes with slit pupils that looked much like those of a snake, and pale skin. He's the one who leads the project for the Elephander which was dubbed the Battle Jack on account of it being able to crash official Zoid Battles while using jamming technology to sneak away undetected by the Battle Commission.

"Smoothly. I can safely say that it's virtually invincible." Stoller replied.

"I certainly hope you're right about that!" said the man on the screen.

"Sir? I don't follow." Stoller said.

He was confused by the harsh tone of his commanding officer. Did he unknowingly do something wrong in the man's eyes, or is it something else?

"I mean your opponent in the next battle is the Blitz Team." he said.

"Oh." Stoller said in understanding.

Stoller's apparent boss laughed a bit at some sort of inside joke as he imagined the Blitz Team's reactions to losing to the Backdraft Group and having all of their Zoids taken from them. They just got lucky that one time, but that redhead and her Blade Liger aren't there to help them this time!

"They'll certainly make a good match for the Elephander!" said the man from that room.

Stoller just stared for a few seconds before closing his eyes. If there's one thing he doesn't like, it's that the rest of the Backdraft seem to always underestimate their enemies.

"I'll have my men start preparing the Battle Jack for battle, sir." Stoller said.

And with that, he cut off communications with the other man. Looking out the porthole of the Whale King, Stoller grinned as he remembered something that would make the battle so much more interesting, as well as test the limitations of his best warrior.

' _I suppose it's worth testing.'_

* * *

 _ ***The Next Day…***_

* * *

The Hover Cargo made its way to the designated battlefield. It was a deep canyon with very tall walls, and plenty of rocky crags. The perfect place for those Stealth Vipers to launch a surprise attack against the enemy.

"Here we are, team! At the battle site!" announced Doctor Toros. "Just like last time around we're facing very adverse terrain."

"Then the Pteras's aerial attacks and the Liger Zero's high degree of maneuverability won't be of much use in this battle." Jamie said, thinking only about the negatives again.

And that got on Jaune's nerves a bit.

"Jamie, what have I told you? You need to stop being so negative when you go into battle, or you really WILL lose!" Jaune scolded.

"He's got a point." Brad said.

Leena knew that she had to play the mediator here, otherwise Jaune might get tempted to rip Jamie a new one for his timid negativity. Seems Yang's short temper is transferring to Jaune through the Soul Mark.

"Let's not get all hung up over the terrain! The Viper Team's a pushover, so what're you worried about?" Leena stated.

"You see? She's got the right idea!" Jaune said.

Doctor Toros nodded in agreement while Sarah smiled at how the slightly dysfunctional team was still getting along in their own way. It warms her heart to see how well Jaune is getting along with his team. Even Raven looked happy for these children.

"Wish I could be so sure…" mumbled Jamie.

"Just play it by ear, Jamie." Yang advised.

"It'll be fine!" Leena added.

"We'll all watch each other's backs in this fight!" Jaune declared.

But little did the Blitz Team know was that the same Whale King from before was now flying over the battle site, and it was ready to cause some serious problems.

Walking up to his commanding officer, a young man named Sanders reported in about the Backdraft's most powerful Zoid. Well, it's only its CURRENT most powerful Zoid, but they don't need to know that.

"The Elephander is complete, sir. We can deploy at any time." Sanders reported.

"Listen Sanders, I want you to use the Computerized Voice Command System in battle this time." Stoller ordered.

"The Voice Command System? You want me to input verbal commands?!" Sanders asked.

And he had a right to be nervous. This new system is still very new, so they don't know if there are any bugs in the system that could cause it to crash. I mean, who's to say it'll work at all? But Stoller wasn't deterred.

"That's correct. We've got to give the enemy a little handicap." Stoller replied.

"Right! Listen Captain," said Sanders. "Are you sure that I'm the man for this?"

Stoller turned to his right hand man, clearly confused by this question.

"What're you getting at?" Stoller asked.

"But Captain, you're far more skilled than I am as a Zoid warrior! I'm convinced you're the only one who can bring out the true power of the High Performance Elephander!" Sanders explained.

Stoller couldn't help but smile at those words. He appreciates Sanders' hard work and loves him like a brother, but the younger man's naivety would be his own downfall one day. And Stoller would know that. He learned that lesson the HARD WAY.

"You're overestimating my skills. I've retired as a Zoid warrior." Stoller stated.

But Sanders didn't seem convinced.

"Captain!"

"Sanders!" warned Stoller.

The younger man immediately calmed down and stood at attention. He knows better than to go too far.

"Yes sir."

Stoller turned around and smiled at his longtime friend, knowing he'd need a little boost in confidence to win this battle.

"I want you to win." Stoller ordered.

Sanders recognized the look in his captain's eyes. A look that told him that Stoller has every confidence in his combat skills. So he stood at attention and resolved to win this battle for the honor of his captain.

"Sir!"

Back at the battle ground, the three Stealth Vipers belonging to the Viper Team appeared from behind the rocks and hissed at the enemy transport. They were ready for this rematch, and planned to win for their own glory.

"This is it, team! Time to launch!" Raven declared.

The Hover Cargo's catapult opened up and brought out the ramp, and the first up to be mobilized was Ben and the Liger Zero in its base Imperial armor.

"Jaune Arc and the Liger Zero Imperial prepared to launch!" Jaune declared.

Electromagnetic energy from the catapult built up around the Zoid's paws and gave it the speed and lift it needed to get off the platform and onto the battlefield. The Liger was launched, and the blank platform was replaced with the one that had the next Zoid. It was Brad and his Command Wolf.

"Brad and Command Wolf in position! Prepared to launch!" Brad declared.

With that, the wolf was launched into the battle. The final Zoid that was ready to be sent into battle was Jamie and his beloved Pteras Bomber.

"Jamie and the Pteras, prepared to launch…" Jamie said nervously.

With a yelp, Jamie and his Pteras Bomber were launched into the battlefield.

And up in the planet's orbital field, the Judge Satellite was ready to launch the Judge down to the planet below.

 _"Coordinates E37514; Battle Mode 0983! Zoid Battle approved! Judge Capsule release!"_

The capsule was released from the satellite and began its long and seemingly life threatening journey to the planet below. It didn't take long for the Zoid Battle Commission Judge Capsule to make landfall. Both teams were ready for combat, staring each other down as the Stealth Vipers hissed in challenge at the enemy Zoids. The capsule began to rise up from the ground and got ready to begin battle protocol.

But while this was going on, things were beginning to really go down with the Backdraft Group. Stoller made a hand gesture that told his men to standby, and up in space a black and red version of the ZBC Satellite had just dropped a Dark Judge Capsule from its own confines. And just like in the first battle against the Blitz Team, the Whale King launched a black ball from its nose.

 **"Area scanned. Battlefield, set up!"**

The ball made a high pitched whistling sound as it careened as it fell to the ground. Its target? The Judge!

 **"The Blitz Team vs. The Viper Team! Battle Mode 0983! Ready..."**

Before the Judge could start the battle, it was hit by the steel ball that was launched from the Whale King! The Blitz and Viper Teams were shocked at this revelation, but only the Blitz Team was vocal about it.

"THE JUDGE HAS BEEN HIT!" Jaune yelped.

"Who'd do that?!" Brad asked.

"That can't be...!" panicked Jamie.

Just as Jamie said that, something landed right on top of where the Judge used to be. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that this was a Dark Judge Capsule.

 _"This battle will now be taken over by the Backdraft group!"_

While the Dark Judge rose from the ground, Stoller's Whale King landed in the battlefield. It opened its mouth to lower the platform and something began to lumber out of the huge transport Zoid. It was the Elephander!

It was just as Leena had suspected. Unlike Yang's old Elephander, this one was a standard Assault Type Elephander with far more bulk, much more armor and smaller tusks. It's ears were triangular in design and looked like they could fold out. The armor of this Elephander was dark blue with red accents and white tusks and feet. Mounted to the tip of its trunk was the same 60 mm Hyper Laser Gun that destroyed Leena's Dibison, and its tusks looked sharp enough to pierce anything! The Elephander let out a loud trumpeting noise like that of an organic Elephant as it challenged the two teams to a Zoid Battle.

"That's the battle jack!" Leena gasped.

Doctor Toros hummed in acknowledgement. Unlike with most battles, he was now completely serious and in what was dubbed 'leader mode' by the team.

"They've taken over another Zoid Battle!" Doctor Toros exclaimed.

Liger Zero Imperial roared in challenge at the Zoid that had killed off one of his friends, and the Elephander responded with a loud trumpeting noise of its own.

Stoller got his Whale King out of there just as a dome made out of black energy materialized overhead. Jaune growled as he realized just what he was up against.

"They're putting up a dome?!" Jaune asked in outrage.

"The Pteras can't fight with that shield up!" Jamie whined.

The Stealth Vipers of the Viper Team began looking all over the place for an exit, panicking about what just happened to their battle. Within Stoller's Whale King, the technicians and battle tactics members were going over everything they needed to know.

"Black Hex is set up!" reported one technician.

Surveillance Satellite disconnected." reported another.

"...Fine." acknowledged Stoller.

Back with the Judge Satellite belonging to the ZBC, they immediately noticed that something was wrong. Something very wrong and very dangerous was going down.

 _"Visual contact lost with Battlefield at coordinates E37514! Transmissions from Judge 55 have ceased!"_

The camera pans now to a scene depicting a giant sauropod Zoid known as an Ultrasaurus standing out in the middle of a desert. And within it, several crew members of the ZBC were ready to mobilize.

 _"Send an investigation team at once!"_ ordered the commanding officer.

But little did they know, Stoller of the Backdraft Group overheard their little talk.

"Sanders, the Commission's sending an investigation team down there! Finish up the battle BEFORE they arrive!" he ordered.

"I won't let you down, Captain!" Sanders replied over the comm link.

Stoller nodded and switched the communications from his warrior to the Blitz and Viper Teams. It's time to get the show on the road.

"We're the Elephander Team associated with the Backdraft Group. We challenge both the Blitz and the Viper teams! You'll accept, if you know what's good for you!" Stoller challenged with an underlying threat.

Unfortunately, there are some people here who are not very wise as to heed said threats.

"We refuse! The Viper Team's policy is to fight ONLY official Zoid Battles!" exclaimed the leader of the Viper Team.

"Is that a fact? I'm sorry to hear that." said Stoller. "Sanders."

"Yes sir!"

Sanders had the Elephander turn around to face the Viper Team and pointed the gun at its trunk at the three snake Zoids.

"Elephander, deploy AZ 60mm Hyper Laser Gun!" Sanders ordered the Zoid.

The massive Zoid immediately complied and took aim. Unlike Yang's old Elephander, however, this Elephander seemed to only be capable of shooting its Hyper Laser Gun one barrel at a time instead of both at once. But it did its job perfectly, defeating all three Stealth Vipers with a single shot.

 **"You can't do this!"** yelled the Viper Team's leader.

But the Elephander didn't care what these guys thought. It just turned around and trumpeted loudly as it was now challenging the Blitz Team. Leena slammed her fist on the console in anger as her suspicions were confirmed.

"That's him! That's the Zoid that shot down my Dibison!" exclaimed Leena.

"They're going to force us to fight them!" Sarah said, realization hitting her like a sack of hammers.

"Now you're getting the picture." Stoller said over the communicator screen. "But know that we're not about to fight you without making a little wager. If you win against us, you'll receive some prize money. Five times the normal."

"F-Five time?!" stuttered Doctor Toros.

From within the Liger's cockpit, Jaune was doing a bit of mental math.

' _With that kind of money, we'll be able to pay off all of our outstanding debts. Not to mention I'll be five payments ahead of paying for the Liger Zero and his transformation parts! THEN when I sell the Dibison…'_

Jaune smirked as he realized there'd be enough leftover to get Leena an even better Zoid than what either of them had in mind! He got out his Zoid Gear, and placed it in the Liger's computer.

"We accept your challenge!" Jaune declared. "Besides even if I wanted to back out, Liger Zero wouldn't stand for it!"

"No way am I gonna let my team down, OR pass up on all that prize money!" Brad said.

Of course, even though Brad is no longer as much of a mercenary as he used to be. However, old habits die hard since Brad still seemed to be pretty interested in the prize money. But Jamie seemed to still be pretty worried.

 **"Will somebody think straight around here?! Are you forgetting that if we lose against the Backdraft Group they'll confiscate all of our Zoids?!"** Jamie said, panicking.

"Then we'll just have to win!" Jaune said before adding "You need to have more confidence in your abilities as a warrior, Jamie. How many times do I have to tell you that before it gets through that thick skull of yours?"

Stoller smirked. FINALLY, a team that would actually give his warrior a decent challenge AND prove the capabilities of their Elephander Zoid!

"I admire your courageous decision, warriors." admitted Stoller.

"Yeah, gang! And I'll admire you for avenging my Dibison!" Leena said to her team.

"I'm just glad I'M not in the battle this time." Yang admitted. "I don't think I'd be able to fight against an Elephander after piloting my partner for so long, even if I HAD to!"

Raven put a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder, knowing that watching this battle might be a bit hard on her. But Doctor Toros and Sarah were far more focused on the situation at hand.

"Let's not get careless, team! Don't forget that they're part of the Backdraft Group, so they'll use any kind of dirty stunt in order to win!" Sarah reminded.

Jaune was plagued by a few flashbacks of his battle with the Backdraft Group when they had to fight to save Yang that day.

"You don't have to tell me twice, Mom. They were absolutely vicious the last time!" Jaune said.

But Sanders said something that they could tell was the complete and honest truth.

"I have no intention of fighting dirty! The mighty Elephander is going to blow you out of the water!"

And the Elephander trumpeted, agreeing with its current pilot and trying to show its status atop the pecking order.

Meanwhile, in that same room with all of the viewing screens, we see that Salem has actually joined that other man in announcing this battle! It seems as though her new plans involve the Backdraft Group in some way. But I'm not sure how yet.

Salem is a beautiful woman wearing robes as black as the shadows, with pure white skin, white hair that kind of looks like a spider at first glance, and red eyes with black sclera. And from her eyes on the sides of her face, there are these black lines that sort of resemble veins in a way. She appears to be in her mid to late twenties, but is actually as old as Ozpin.

Just don't say that to her face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we hereby present to you a battle between the Backdraft's greatest Zoid, the Elephander, and the currently undefeated Blitz Team!" she announced. "One Elephander will compete against three enemy Zoids! We will be in combat with the Blitz Team's Command Wolf, the Pteras Bomber and the Liger Zero Imperial!"

"Just one against three?" a young business woman asked.

"Yes, but that Elephander has what it takes!" declared an older gentleman.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, sit back and enjoy!" said the man, who we now know is called Altile.

Several voices reverberated throughout the room as the viewers made their bets on who would win the battle. A vast majority placed their bets on the Elephander, but there were those who voted on the Blitz Team winning. Salem included. When asked why by Altile, she just stated that she likes rooting for the underdog.

With all pilots having said their piece, the Dark Judge started the battle procedure.

"Battlefield, set up! Battle Mode 0999! The Blitz Team vs. The Elephander Team! Ready... FIGHT!"

The gong sounded, and all Zoids on the Blitz Team charged in to fight the Elephander. But Sanders was ready for them, and got the Zoid's trunk into position.

"Elephander, deploy the AZ 60 mm Hyper Laser Gun!" Sanders commanded.

The Elephant Type Zoid positioned its trunk to target the Liger Zero Imperial, and fired at the feline Zoid. But each shot missed as Jaune had the Liger moving fast enough to avoid all of the shots using the Liger's superior maneuverability to dodge. Brad had managed to get far enough away from the Elephander to fire a few rounds from his Long Range Cannon.

The blasts may have missed, but they were enough to draw the Elephander's attention. It began shooting at Brad who had remained stationary for one reason or another. A shot had managed to strike the Wolf's foreleg and blow it up below the elbow joint.

 **"GAH! I'm hit!"** Brad yelled.

"You gonna be okay?" Jaune asked.

"I'm not out of the fight yet! You keep attacking, while I provide cover fire!" Brad ordered.

Jaune nodded and increased the Liger Zero to full speed. The Liger pounced at the Elephander, but the Zoid was too big and Liger couldn't get a good grip with its claws. Fortunately, the Liger's system didn't freeze and it landed on its feet. But Sanders smirked.

' _He's in range.'_

"Elephander, Strike Iron Claw." Sanders ordered.

The Elephander made four claws that seemed to be made for gripping spring out from the front of its trunk, and lunged at the Liger Zero. The claws grabbed the Liger by one of its shoulders in a vice grip, and the Liger struggled to shake off the Elephander! Said Zoid lowered its tusks and Jaune came to a horrible realization. Sanders was gonna try and impale Liger Zero!

Jaune has experience in these things due to Yang using the claws of her old Elephander a lot in previous battles.

 **"Hurry, Liger! We gotta shake him off somehow!"** Jaune yelled in panic.

Liger Zero roared in agreement, but it was barely slowing them down as it was. This Zoid had so much physical power, it wasn't even funny!

"It's just as I predicted! Once your maneuverability is gone, you're finished!" Sanders said.

Jaune growled in response to that. As much as he hated to admit it, his opponent is right. It's one of the only weaknesses that all Liger Zoids share.

 **"Jaune!"**

Jamie move his Pteras Bomber forward a bit, then fired all six missiles from the Bomber Unit on its back. Sanders saw this, and took the appropriate defensive measures.

"Deploy the Hyper Energy Shield." Sanders commanded.

The Elephander stopped pulling the Liger Zero towards its tusks, and fanned out its ears. The front panels of the ears glowed, and a powerful Energy Shield appeared in front of both the Elephander and the Liger.

The results were the missiles being blocked, and exploding harmlessly on the energy field. Once the assault was over, it turned off its shield and awaited further orders from its pilot. It didn't need to wait long.

"Deploy the AZ 105 mm Beam Gun, and the AZ 115 mm Pulse Laser Gun! Target is the Pteras."

The Elephander did just that, and fired a powerful barrage at the Pteras. Since the poor Zoid couldn't get airborne because of the dome, Jamie couldn't dodge in time. His Zoid was down and frozen before it even knew what hit it. Ben was enraged even further from this.

"JAMIE!" exclaimed a worried Jaune.

He growled and flared his Aura as he glared back up at Sanders and his Elephander.

"You're gonna regret that!" snarled Jaune.

But Sanders didn't seem to perceive him as a threat.

"Now let's finish this!" Sanders said to the Elephander.

The Elephander resumed trying to impale the Liger Zero Imperial, but it lost its grip and let go of the Liger when the trunk was shot by Brad's Command Wolf.

"You okay there, Jaune?" Brad asked.

"Yeah, we'll be fine. Thanks for the assist there." Jaune replied.

"Try to stay focused, and we'll find a way to win this fight!" Brad said.

From inside the Hover Cargo, Doctor Toros, Sarah, Raven, Yang and Leena were watching the match. They couldn't believe how badly their team was losing right now. Yang sighed as she remembered how powerful her own Elephander was when her Geno Saurus was still pretty much two halves of the same Zoid. And this one was no exception!

"The Backdraft's Elephander has a Hyper Energy Shield and several powerful Beam Guns! Not to mention all that raw power!" Doctor Toros said to himself. "That Zoid doesn't have ANY vulnerabilities!"

"Oh, dad…" Leena said.

Doctor Toros looked serious for a moment, before smiling like a little kid.

"I'd love to have one of those again!" Doc said.

"Oh, man! Gee dad, snap out of it!" Leena groaned.

The other three ladies just sweatdropped at the man's behavior. Again, why is someone so immature the manager of this team?

Liger Zero and the Command Wolf continued to fire a relentless barrage at the Elephander using the Liger's Shock Cannon and tail gun and the Command Wolf's Long Range Cannon, but it did no good. The Elephander's shield was just far too strong for any of their attacks to get through!

"Nothing's working! The Elephander's offense and defense capabilities are perfect! This is hopeless!" Brad said in defeat.

"I'm not giving up just yet!" Jaune declared. "Cover me! I'm gonna go and switch armor units."

"I'll try." Brad said.

Sanders was confused at Jaune returning to his team's transport. He wasn't worried, but a small part of him felt he should be concerned.

"Is he trying to escape?" Sanders asked himself. "Elephander, use the Double 45mm Magazines! Target is the Command Wolf."

The Elephander began to launch a rapid fire assault from the gun at the base of its trunk at the Command Wolf. Brad retaliated using firepower from his own cannon. If he was going down, he'd be taking this guy down with him! Or at least, that would've been the plan. But something deep within the Command Wolf's soul had finally awakened.

The wolf's canopy suddenly started glowing with an intense light as it let loose a loud howl that caused Sanders and the Elephander to stop firing for a moment.

"What the heck's going on?!" Sanders asked in slight panic.

Even Brad didn't seem to know what was happening, but he gasped in surprise as his Command Wolf was enveloped in a bright cocoon of blue light. This process was so foreign and yet so familiar to Brad. Almost as if he instinctively knew what was going on.

"What the…? What is this?" Brad asked himself.

 _ **"You taught me something, Brad."**_ said a distorted voice.

"Wha?! Who's there?!"

 _ **"In fact, you taught me many things. You may not have realized it yet, but I am your Zoid."**_

The voice started becoming much less distorted and far more feminine signalling that the Zoid was a female. And Brad was shocked by just what he was hearing.

"What?! YOU'RE the Command Wolf?!"

 ** _"That's right. Ever since I was first given to you by your father, I have been watching you in our battles, unable to free my soul from this artificial body made by man. I watched as you learned and grew alongside your band of mercenaries known as the Wolf Fang, and how you joined the Blitz Team. Once the new members of the team, Jaune Arc and Yang Xiao Long joined the team, you slowly began to change for the better."_**

Brad gasped as several memories from his time with his team began to play before him. Back when he used to be all about the money like a real mercenary, when Jaune and Yang joined the team and the battles that followed. He saw that as time went on, he began to care less and less about the money and soon enough he saw his battle with the Backdraft Group. The rescue battle that turned him into the man he is today.

 ** _"You soon stopped caring about money so much and lost the need to satisfy your own greed that you acquired as a mercenary. Your kindness and your selfless actions gave me the strength I needed to awaken. You formed powerful bonds with your teammates, always helping them in their time of need. And although they don't come right out and say it, they love you for it."_**

"Yeah… my team… my friends…!"

Brad smiled at all of the fond memories of his time with his team. Their victory against the Tigers Team was just the first step towards his own journey of self improvement.

"You're right. My friends ARE the most important thing to me! I'd do ANYTHING to keep going on these adventures with them! And I won't let the likes of the Backdraft Group stop us from reaching the top!" Brad declared.

His attention shifted from his Zoid to the control panel in front of him and saw that it had changed slightly. No longer was it a standard Command Wolf cockpit. Now, it was something else.

"What… What's all this?" Brad asked.

 _ **"It's okay, Brad. It's just me. I have improved and become something greater."**_

The cocoon of light shattered away to reveal the Zoid underneath it. And everyone was astounded by what they saw! The Command Wolf was now a completely different Zoid!

"Wha?! What is that?!" Sanders asked.

"A Konig Wolf…!" Leena gasped in awe.

The Konig Wolf is certainly a step up from the standard Command Wolf! Rather than looking like the more well known Grey Wolf, the Konig Wolf's design is more like that of a Dire Wolf from the Pleistocene era, having a distinctly noticeable mane. It's body is less artificial and more derived off of a wild Zoid type much like the Liger Zero. The Zoid was covered in the same blue armor that once covered Brad's Command Wolf, only now it has far greater armor protecting it. The eyes of the canopy are orange like the old Command Wolf, and the Konig Wolf has sharper teeth and claws than before.

Equipped to the Konig Wolf is the same Long Range Rifle that Brad used to have on his Command Wolf, and it also has an 8-Missile Pod on each front shoulder.

The Konig Wolf howled loudly as she challenged the Elephander, showing that her evolution has completely healed the damage that had been done to her when she was still a Command Wolf. Doctor Toros was like a kid in a candy store seeing this!

"Wow! I've never seen Zoid Evolution in person before!" he said excitedly.

"Try to stay focused, Doc! We've got a battle to win here!" Sarah told her old friend. "Jaune, are you ready? Because we need to hurry and stop these guys!"

"We're ready mom! Get ready to mobilize the Liger Zero Destructor!"

But Liger Zero has other ideas. Jaune looked down to his monitor screen to see that Liger Zero was calling on the Cuchilla Violeta armor. This confused the Arc boy.

"You want to use the Cuchilla Violeta armor? Are you sure it'll work here, Liger?" Jaune asked.

Liger Zero roared in response, knowing that the armor would help immensely in this fight. Jaune grinned and nodded at the Liger.

"Mom, scratch that! Instead, we're activating the system Cuchilla Violeta!" Jaune said.

"Roger that!" Sarah replied.

The robot arms appeared from the walls again and began to strip the Liger Zero Imperial of its armor and stored it in the walls. As the walls around the Zoid rotated to the Cuchilla Violeta armor, and thus began the chapter of a brand new armor. The doors opened revealing the purple armor with a set of red Laser Blades, and as the mechanical arms began to equip the armor to Liger Zero Doctor Toros gave Jaune a quick tutorial of how the armor worked.

"The Liger Zero Cuchilla Violeta! This is one combat Zoid that's designed for superior close range battle while having an extra gun for long range attacks. Equipped with four High Output Thrusters, and two Shoulder Mounted High Output Thrusters as well as seven Laser Blades, it can cut down even the fiercest enemy! But not only does it have all of that, but it's also equipped with its own Hyper Energy Shield, a 72mm AA Cannon Turret Emplacement and a superior Optic Camouflage system that makes it completely invisible to any Zoid! Even being able to keep its own gunfire from being seen until it's too late!"

Jaune quickly checked the Liger's systems to make sure the armor was working right. He couldn't risk something going wrong before they'd won the battle, or they would all be toast! Detecting no anomalies in the armor, Jaune had the platform raised up to the catapult as he and Liger Zero Cuchilla Violeta got ready to fight once again.

"Liger Zero Cuchilla Violeta prepared to launch!"

And thus, the Liger Zero in its new armor was launched from the Hover Cargo. And just in time, too! It doesn't look like Brad and his new Konig Wolf can take much more! They've been shooting for some time now and haven't even made a dent in the Elephander! And it looks like it was about ready to try and smash the Konig Wolf with its Strike Iron Claw!

"Look out! I'm not ready to retire yet!" Brad declared.

He aimed his Long Range Cannon up a little bit and fired a shot from it. Unlike all the other blasts, this one didn't miss and he was too close for Sanders to put up his shield in time. So he ended up shooting off the Elephander's back mounted cannon. Needless to say, the Backdraft warrior was pissed off.

"TRYING TO RESIST ME IS POINTLESS! SURRENDER WHILE YOU CAN!" shouted an angry Sanders.

He readied the Elephander's trunk to smash the wolf, making Brad grit his teeth at his own weakness.

"Thanks for buying us some time, guys!" Jaune said over the intercom.

Sanders, Brad, and the Konig Wolf looked back to see Liger Zero in its new Cuchilla Violeta Armor charging right into battle! Brad and the Konig Wolf decided to stand back and rest for a bit while the Liger took out the Elephander.

"This battle's just getting started!" Jaune declared.

Meanwhile, watching from his Whale King, Stoller was both amazed and confused by this new development.

"Where'd that purple Liger come from?" Stoller asked himself.

He saw that it was the same Liger from when the battle had started, but it had changed armors. But that should be impossible! Unless…

' _Don't tell me that it's the Ultimate X!'_

Having come to the conclusion that he shouldn't waste any more time with testing the Voice Command System, Stoller quickly contacted Sanders and gave him new instructions.

 **"Come in Sanders! You can't fight against that kind of cutting power and speed using the Voice Command System! Switch to manual control!"** Stoller ordered.

"Roger!" Sanders replied.

With the controls switched to manual, Sanders began to try and shoot down the Liger Zero using the 60 mm Hyper Laser Gun. However, the Liger Zero Cuchilla Violetta was too fast. It started heading towards the wall next to the Elephander, leaving afterimages as it did. This was surprising for everyone, seeing as how this armor wasn't built for High Speed Battles.

Sanders' eyes widened in shock from the sheer speed of the Liger Zero Cuchilla Violeta.

"How can he be so fast?!" Sanders asked himself.

The Liger began to scale the cliff face, and Jaune had a grin on his face as he figured out how he was going to defeat the so-called "Invincible Elephander"!

"You're vulnerable to attacks from above!" he declared in victory.

The Liger leapt off the cliff, and locked all weapons onto the Elephander. It was time for a little payback for Leena's Dibison! Ladies and gentlemen, this is not gonna end well for the Elephander or the Backdraft Group! But that doesn't mean that Sanders is going to go down so easily!

 **"Oh no you don't!"**

He pulled the trigger and shot a blast from the Elephander's Hyper Laser Gun, and Jaune pulled a stunt that really gave the Elephander a run for its money.

"Watch out!" he yelped.

He unsheathed two of the Liger's smaller cheek mounted Laser Blades and sent plasma energy flowing through them. The results were the blades cutting right through the blasts of the Hyper Laser Gun, and with gravity aiding them, Jaune and the Liger Zero Cuchilla Violeta were ready to cut down the Elephander.

 **"Let's end this, Liger!"** yelled Jaune.

Liger Zero roared as it tried to slash through the Elephander, who swung his trunk to try and bat the Liger away. The Elephander missed by mere inches and Liger Zero landed on the ground beside it before running a few feet away. At first it seemed like nothing happened. But then the Elephander's right leg started sparking from damage.

"What'd he do?!" demanded Sanders.

Having taken too much damage from the battle, the Elephander fell onto its side with its computer system frozen. Liger Zero roared in victory and joy, having avenged its fallen comerad. And like the first time this happened, the Dark Judge was not happy with the results.

 **"What?! But you can't! Rrg! Dh-dh- NNOOOOOOOOOOOO HO HO HOOOOOO! Game over. *Sigh* The winner is… The Blitz Team."**

The ending gong sounded through the canyon as the black dome was finally lowered and the Blitz Team was free to go home after a long and hard battle. But back with the Backdraft Group and Salem, the viewers of the battle were in a frenzy. The majority of them were outraged that the Blitz Team won and were acting like a bunch of sore losers. But Salem didn't seem to be all that unhappy.

And not just because she made a killing for betting on the Blitz Team rather than the Elephander.

' _So the Zoids are capable of feats such as this? Very interesting…'_ Salem thought with a sinister smile.

But Altile just clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes.

' _You've proved me wrong, Liger Zero! YOU'RE the Ultimate X!'_

Back on the Whale King, Sanders and the Elephander have just been brought back and the younger pilot was reporting to his commanding officer.

"Forgive me, Captain."

"Don't worry, we won't lose next time." Stoller said.

Sanders was a little confused. He honestly thought that Stoller would be much more angry than that. But he's not one to look a gift in the horse's mouth and just rolled with it. After all, it just means less desk work for him!

"Uh, yes sir!" Sanders said.

"Sanders… I'm starting to think about coming out of retirement." Stoller admitted.

"Then you'll be fighting the next one?" Sanders asked.

Stoller didn't say anything. But the look of anticipation on his face says it all.

Jaune was breathing hard from pulling off a stunt like that. He doesn't understand why, but in every battle he would feel the damage that Liger Zero felt. He chalked it up to his own Semblance beginning to awaken. Stoller appeared on Jaune's video screen, seeming to be pleased by the battle results.

"Congratulations, you have won the battle. The prize money should be being transferred to the Blitz Team account as we speak. That was a most satisfying battle from you in particular, warrior." Stoller said.

"Thank you mister…" Jaune trailed off.

"Stoller. Call me Stigma Stoller."

"Well Stoller, I hope we can meet in an official battle someday." Jaune said. "And tell that guy who piloted the Elephander that I said he was an exceptional warrior."

"Very well. We'll meet again, Jaune Arc." Stoller said.

And with that being said, the Whale King flew off back to the Backdraft Group Headquarters. There were obvious modifications that needed to be made to the Elephander, and Stoller was determined not to lose next time!

* * *

 _ ***To Be Continued…***_

* * *

 _ **Ending Narration (Jaune): "The marauding Sand Stingray Gang has been terrorizing the desert sands around Romeo City for some time now, and NOW they've set their sights on the Hover Cargo! Bunch of juvenile punks, the lot of them!"**_

" _ **Wait a minute, what's going on with Naomi?! She has a Soul Mark connected to me too?! Oh geez… How am I gonna break this to Yang and Leena? Well, at least Yang gets to spend a little sisterly bonding time with Ruby. Next time on RWBY New Century Zero: Rewrite; Desert Tusk - The Hover Cargo's In Danger! Ready, FIGHT!"**_

* * *

 _ **Here are the current results of the poll. Remember that the first to get to fifty votes or has the most votes by the official thirteenth chapter of the story will be the winner.**_

 _ **Geno Saurus (Fuzors Variant: Black and Yellow): 6 votes**_

 _ **Geno Saurus (Standard Colors: Black and Purple): 5 votes**_

 _ **Geno Saurus (Raven Custom: Black and Red) 5 votes**_


End file.
